Economic-environmental evaluation of industrial energy parks integrated with CCHP units under a hybrid IGDT-stochastic optimization approach

Abstract

Unsustainable and uncontrolled development of urbanization, as well as the expansion and increase of environmental challenges, has caused extensive activities in recent years to reduce environmental pollution and efficient use of energy resources, worldwide. One of the appropriate solutions to reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) emission and the optimal use of energy sources is the construction of an industrial energy park (IEP). Given the pivotal role of energy parks in different energy networks, accurate techno-economic-environmental assessment of energy parks, along with the promoted energy conversion facilities and flexibility options has become a challenging task. To address this open issue, this paper focuses on the coordinated operation of IEPs with a variety of thermal, electrical, and cooling loads to satisfy economic and environmental benefits. The proposed combined cooling, heat, and power (CCHP)-based energy park is equipped with multiple energy conversion facilities, such as absorption and electric chiller, power-to-heat facility, multi-energy storage, as well as demand response (DR) program as the flexibility option to supply energy demands, while has energy exchanging (power and heat exchanged) with the corresponding markets. The main objectives of this paper are to minimize the total operation cost of the energy park and decrease CO2 emission rates. The coordinated model is exposed to the fluctuation of wind power, electrical and heat loads, and power prices, so the hybrid stochastic/information gap decision theory (IGDT)-based robust approach is used to handle them. The technical implications of using the proposed strategy are: (1) Creating a robust platform for industrial park operators to actively participate in different energy markets and take advantage of existing economic opportunities to meet the required energy demands at the lowest cost; and (2) Encouraging industrial park operators to participate in DR programs to reduce operating costs, increase energy efficiency, and contribute to the development of energy network plans. The proposed stochastic-IGDT multi-objective model is examined on the sample park and numerical results are discussed for different cases. Results reveal that under the proposed coordinated approach, total operation cost and emission pollution are decreased up to 3.1%, and 2.2%, respectively.