A new ANN approach for time series analysis

Time series analysis and accurate forecasting of energy prices are critical for both policymakers and market participants. In the practical analysis of price time series, the coefficients play vital roles; however, their accurate estimation is a challenging issue as they are affected by external factors. This study proposes a new modeling approach for Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs) models based on fuzzy logic. For this purpose, we reformulated an ANN model as a fuzzy nonlinear regression model to capture the advantages of both fuzzy regression and ANN methodologies. This clear-box model can be applied to not only uncertain, ambiguous, and complex environments, but it is also capable of modeling nonlinear patterns. To illustrate the capability of the proposed approach, we report a case study of liquefied natural gas (LNG) prices in Japan’s market (the world’s largest natural gas importer). The results support that the performance of the proposed approach is acceptable; moreover, it can deal with uncertain and complex environments as a clear-box model.