Multi-day optimal operation of rural integrated energy systems with comfort and meteorological sensitivity considerations

Abstract

The flexibility of Integrated Energy Systems (IES) can effectively mitigate supply–demand imbalances caused by uncertainties in renewable energy generation and load demand. To fully leverage IES flexibility, a method integrating comfort and weather sensitivity with multi-day operational optimization is proposed. Specifically, based on field research, energy demand variations stemming from rural users’ sensitivity to indoor comfort and weather conditions were quantified. During system operation, a multi-day cross-period scheduling strategy was developed considering multi-day flexibility in renewable energy output and user load. Furthermore, user-side demand response potential was comprehensively explored to enhance IES scheduling flexibility. Building on this, a two-stage optimization method was introduced, where temporal resolution was determined according to IES equipment ramping capabilities. The formulated model was solved to obtain optimal scheduling results. Results demonstrate that the proposed method reduces total system costs by approximately 30.3 %. Environmentally, carbon emissions decrease by 12.6 %. Regarding system autonomy and reliability, independence improves by 28.8 %, with maximum continuous off-grid operation covering 73 % of the scheduling period. These findings confirm that the proposed method enhances IES flexibility while effectively mitigating operational uncertainties from renewable generation and load demand.