A collaborative management strategy for multi-objective optimization of sustainable distributed energy system considering cloud energy storage

The hybrid renewable energy distributed energy system (DES) has great application potential due to its cleanliness and high energy efficiency. In existing DES studies, complex energy storage systems are invested in addressing the mismatch between energy supply and demand. However, this investment mode would result in large investments and low device utilization rates. This work connects DES to cloud energy storage (CES, a shared energy storage provider) to build the DES storage system in a subscription mode. The subscription mode enables the proposed DES-CES to dynamically adjust its storage capacity and power by changing storage service contracts. Then, an active energy reserve-based multi-stage dual-scenario collaborative management strategy is designed to dispatch DES-CES. A multi-objective optimization model is constructed to optimize the design and operation of DES-CES, considering economic, environmental, and flexibility performances. Simulation results show that the formulated three performances form a sustainability frontier for DES-CES. This frontier has suitable renewable energy integration levels that consider system consumption ability. Compared to the investment mode, the annual equivalent storage capacity and power under the proposed subscription mode are less, reducing storage costs by 13%–53% (depending on given performances). This work provides references and methodology for DES to join CES.