Stochastic Coordinated Management of Electrical–Gas–Thermal Networks in Flexible Energy Hubs Considering Day-Ahead Energy and Ancillary Markets

Abstract

This paper presents an optimal operation framework for electrical, gas, and thermal networks in the presence of energy hubs (EHs), so that EHs can benefit from day-ahead ancillary and energy markets. Therefore, to consider the goals of network operators (optimal operation of networks) and EHs (optimal operation in markets), the proposed model is developed in the form of a bi-level optimization. Its upper-level formulation minimizes the expected energy loss in the proposed networks based on the optimal power flow constraints and technical limits. At the lower-level problem, maximizing the expected profit of EHs in day-ahead energy and ancillary markets (including reactive and reserve regulation) is formulated based on the operational model of resources, storage devices, and responsive load in the EH framework, and the flexible constraints of EHs. This scheme includes the uncertainties of load, market price, renewable energy resources, and mobile storage energy demand, which uses the point estimation method to model them. Karush–Kuhn–Tucker is then used to extract the single-level model. Finally, by implementing the proposed scheme on a standard system, the obtained numerical results confirm the capability of the proposed model in improving the network’s operation and economic status of EHs. As a result, the proposed scheme is able to decrease operation indices such as energy losses, voltage drop, and temperature drop by approximately 28.5%, 39%, and 27.8%, respectively, compared to load flow analysis. This scheme can improve the flexibility of EHs, including non-controllable sources such as renewable resources, by nearly 100% and it obtains considerable profits for hubs.