The increasing volatility in energy markets, particularly in Greece where electricity costs reached a peak of 236 EUR/MWh in 2022, underscores the urgent need for accurate short-term load forecasting models. In this study, the application of deep learning techniques, specifically Recurrent Neural Network (RNN), Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM), and Gated Recurrent Unit (GRU), to forecast hourly electricity demand is investigated. The proposed models were trained on historical load data from the Greek power system spanning the years 2013 to 2016. Various deep learning architectures were implemented and their forecasting performances using statistical metrics such as Root Mean Squared Error (RMSE) and Mean Absolute Percentage Error (MAPE) were evaluated. The experiments utilized multiple time horizons (1 h, 2 h, 24 h) and input sequence lengths (6 h to 168 h) to assess model accuracy and robustness. The best performing GRU model achieved an RMSE of 83.2 MWh and a MAPE of 1.17% for 1 h ahead forecasting, outperforming both LSTM and RNN in terms of both accuracy and computational efficiency. The predicted values were integrated into a dynamic Power BI dashboard, to enable real-time visualization and decision support. These findings demonstrate the potential of deep learning architectures, particularly GRUs, for operational load forecasting and their applicability to intelligent energy systems in a market-strained environment.

A neurofuzzy system is proposed for short-term electric load forecasting. The fuzzy rule base of ReNFuzz-LF consists of rules with dynamic consequent parts that are small-scale recurrent neural networks with one hidden layer, whose neurons have local output feedback. The particular representation maintains the local learning nature of the typical static fuzzy model, since the dynamic consequent parts of the fuzzy rules can be considered as subsystems operating at the subspaces defined by the fuzzy premise parts, and they are interconnected through the defuzzification part. The Greek power system is examined, and hourly based predictions are extracted for the whole year. The recurrent nature of the forecaster leads to the use of a minimal set of inputs, since the temporal relations of the electric load time-series are identified without any prior knowledge of the appropriate past load values being necessary. An extensive simulation analysis is conducted, and the forecaster’s performance is evaluated using appropriate metrics (APE, RMSE, forecast error duration curve). ReNFuzz-LF performs efficiently, attaining an average percentage error of 1.35% and an average yearly absolute error of 86.3 MW. Finally, the performance of the proposed forecaster is compared to a series of Computational Intelligence based models, such that the learning characteristics of ReNFuzz-LF are highlighted.

A dynamic fuzzy neural network for short-term load forecasting of the Greek power system is proposed, and an hourly based prediction for the whole year is performed. A DBD-FELF (Dynamic Block-Diagonal Fuzzy Electric Load Forecaster) consists of fuzzy rules with consequent parts that are neural networks with internal recurrence. These networks have a hidden layer, which consists of pairs of neurons with feedback connections between them. The overall fuzzy model partitions the input space in partially overlapping fuzzy regions, where the recurrent neural networks of the respective rules operate. The partition of the input space and determination of the fuzzy rule base is performed via the use of the Fuzzy C-Means clustering algorithm, and the RENNCOM constrained optimization method is applied for consequent parameter tuning. The performance of DBD-FELF is tested via extensive experimental analysis, and the results are promising, since an average percentage error of 1.18% is attained, along with an average yearly absolute error of 76.2 MW. Moreover, DBD-FELF is compared with Deep Learning, fuzzy and neurofuzzy rivals, such that its particular attributes are highlighted.

A block-diagonal fuzzy neural network for short-term load forecasting is proposed. DBD-FELF consists of fuzzy rules with consequent parts that are neural networks with internal recurrence. These networks have a hidden layer which consists of pairs of neurons with feedback connections between them. The overall fuzzy model partitions the input space in partially overlapping fuzzy regions, where the recurrent neural networks of the respective rules operate. The partition of the input space and determination of the fuzzy rule base is performed by use of Fuzzy C-Means clustering algorithm and the RENNCOM constrained optimization method is applied for consequent parameter tuning. The electric load time-series of the Greek power system is examined, and hourly-based forecasting for the whole year is performed. The performance of DBD-FELF is tested via extensive experimental analysis and the results are promising, since an average percentage error of 1.18% is attained, along with an average yearly absolute error of 76.2 MW. Moreover, DBD-FELF is compared with Deep Learning, fuzzy and neurofuzzy rivals, such that its particular attributes are highlighted.

A Dynamic Neuro-fuzzy Model (Dynamic Neuro-fuzzy Wind Predictor, DNFWP) is proposed for wind power prediction. The fuzzy rules in DNFWP consist of a typical antecedent part with static inputs, while the consequent part is a small three-layer neural network, incorporating unit feedback connections at the outputs of the neurons of the hidden layer. The inclusion of internal feedback targets to capture the intrinsic temporal relations of the dataset, while maintaining the local modeling approach of traditional fuzzy models. Each rule in DNFWP represents a local model, and the fuzzy rules operate cooperatively through the defuzzification process. The fuzzy rule base is extracted employing the Fuzzy C-means clustering algorithm, and the consequent neural networks’ weights are tuned by the use of Dynamic Resilient Propagation. Two cases with datasets of different volumes are tested and the performance of DNFWP is very promising, according to the results attained using a series of metrics like Root Mean Squared Error, Mean Absolute Error, and the r-squared statistic. The dynamic nature of the predictor allows it to operate effectively with a single input, thus rendering a feature selection phase unnecessary. DNFWP is compared to Machine Learning-based and Deep Learning-based counterparts, such that its prediction capabilities along with its reduced parametric complexity are highlighted.