Optimal Operation of Energy Hubs Considering Uncertainties and Different Time Resolutions

Abstract

This article presents a robust chance-constrained optimization framework for the optimal operation management of an energy hub (EH) in the presence of electrical, heating, and cooling demands, and renewable power generation. The proposed strategy can be used for optimal decision making of operators of EHs or energy providers. The electrical energy storage device in the studied EH can handle the fluctuations in operating points raised by such uncertainties. In order to model the hourly demands and renewable power generation uncertainties, a robust chance-constrained close-to-real-time model is adopted in this article. The considered EH in this study follows a centralized framework and the EH operator is responsible for the optimal operation of the hub assets based on the day-ahead scheduling. A thorough analysis of energy flows with different carriers is presented. In addition, a numerical stability test regarding the selection of the time step size is performed to guarantee the solution's time resolution independence, occurring in previous studies.