Advancing Multi-Energy Hub Design: an Integrated Approach for Optimizing Residential Clusters in High RES Penetration Scenarios

With the energy transition underway, the wider penetration of multi-energy hubs (MEHs) is inevitable as they allow for the integration of multiple energy carriers at the local level and especially at the users' side by enhancing flexibility of energy supply and renewabIes penetration. Thus, addressing their design properly is imperative. While numerous energy modeling software and tools are extensively discussed in the literature, they primarily focus on a single energy carrier, mainly dedicated to the electrical network. In this study, an optimization planning tool capable of analyzing the synergies of various energy carriers is presented. The tool aims to determine the optimal configuration of MEHs with sizes of the chosen technologies based on the modeler's preferences. The tool offers flexibility in modelling a wide range of technologies as potential options for the optimal configuration, and in considering different types of objectives as economic and environmental ones that can be assessed through a multi-objective approach. It is formulated through mixed-integer linear programming in a modular manner, facilitating the easy implementation of new emerging technologies, by enhancing scalability and applicability in real context. To prove the effectiveness of the optimization tool, it is applied for the design of a MEH for a residential building cluster located in Torino (Italy). Different scenarios are analyzed to determine the impact of high levels of renewabIes penetration on the design of the MEH while guaranteeing the economic sustainability of the solution.