Optimization of operation strategy for a grid interactive regional energy system

•A TOU-price-based optimization model for the operation strategy for a grid interactive regional energy system is presented.•The model achieves load transfer without affecting user comfort requirements, maximizes power flexibility, and improves the economy.•It can provide a positive flexibility of 23,139 kWh and a negative flexibility of 5615 kWh compared with the original strategy.•Although the energy saving rate of the optimization strategy is −4.8%, the cost saving rate can reach 20.4%. With the rapid development of power demand response in grid interactive building, it is urgent for regional energy system with great power flexibility potential to realize the interaction with grid. The power flexibility of regional energy system can be divided into direct power flexibility and power flexibility transformed from thermal flexibility. The former comes from power generation system and power storage equipment, whereas the latter comes from cold (heat) storage system. To improve the power flexibility and economy of regional energy stations, this paper proposes a TOU-price-based optimization model for the operation strategy for a grid interactive regional energy system. The model optimizes the hourly load distribution of the direct energy supply system and the energy storage system to achieve load transfer without affecting user comfort requirements, to maximize the power flexibility, and to improve the economy of the system. The proposed model can serve as reference for the operation strategy optimization and the system design of other existing or new regional energy systems. On the basis of experimental comparison and simulation analysis, the accuracy and rationality of the optimization strategy are verified.