Optimal operation of the energy hubs in the islanded multi-carrier energy system using Cournot model

Abstract

Growing the electrical and heat demand and increasing the need for the reliable and the cost-effective energy distribution systems facilitate using the multi-carrier energy distribution systems to supply demand. A multi-carrier energy network is a system that supports multiple types of energy carriers such as electricity, natural gas, and heat. This paper presents a new island-mode operation method for multi-carrier distribution systems where in case of the occurrence of a fault or critical event, the local network is disconnected from the main grid. This local network consisting of three energy hubs where the aim of these hubs is to supply their local energy demand with the minimum cost. For this purpose, the energy hubs decide to optimal scheduling of their resources and the optimal trading energy with other ones. To model such decision making framework, the Cournot competition model is employed in which the price of energy exchange among energy hubs is modeled based on the Time-Of-Use demand response program. This model is mathematically solved using Karush–Kuhn–Tucker conditions. For this purpose, these conditions are applied on the optimization problem of all hubs, simultaneously. To show the effectiveness of the model, it is applied on a test case with three hubs. The results show the optimal behavior of the hubs in such framework to minimize their operation cost.