Unlocking Energy Flexibility in Multi-Carrier Energy Hubs with Integrated Electrical-Thermal Demand Response
Abstract
The global transition toward multi-energy systems positions energy hubs as the central architecture for coordinating electricity, heating, cooling, and hydrogen resources within a unified framework. This paper aims to optimize day-ahead scheduling for a smart energy hub, with emphasis on minimizing operational costs while accounting for environmental impacts. We develop a comprehensive multi-objective model that integrates multiple technologies, including combined heat and power, power-to-hydrogen-to-power system, and an integrated demand response program. The demand response program reduces operational costs by 3% relative to the strict baseline. Furthermore, without demand response, the system is more reliant on the grid, importing 391 kWh of electricity, wheras with demand response, the total import decreases to 364 kWh. The proposed demand response program functions as a capacity manager, enabling the system to conduct energy arbitrage in a planned manner by moving loads to the lowest-price windows and keeping other equipment operating efficiently.