Improving energy management efficiency of regional integrated energy system: A novel multi-agent reference dependence-based framework with green certificates allocation-transaction strategy

The Regional Integrated Energy System (RIES) integrates advanced energy devices and various forms of energy, encompassing the entire process of energy production and consumption. It plays a crucial role in promoting the transformation of the energy structure and achieving the “dual carbon” goals. However, existing research on RIES faces several challenges, including low willingness for cooperative game dynamics among various Integrated Energy Systems (IES) in a multi-source context, and a lack of driving mechanisms for carbon emission offsets and trading, particularly when considering the economic viability of green certificates. To address these issues, this study proposes a multi-agent reference dependence-based framework for energy bargaining, along with a “carbon-determined certificates” green certificates allocation - transaction strategy. This approach aims to enhance the coupling of the energy‑carbon-green certificate market within RIES, thereby improving its low-carbon and economic performance. The results indicate that the introduction of the trading framework increased the total thermal energy exchange among IESs by approximately 224 kWh, enhancing the enthusiasm for cooperative gaming. Compared to a baseline scenario without strategies, the total economic costs for IESs decreased by 7.31 %, and carbon emissions were reduced by 4.49 %. Under the combined influence of the strategies and framework, the carbon emissions offset using green certificates for IES2 and IES3 increased by 501.72 kg and 323.38 kg, respectively, while energy purchase costs decreased by 3.96 % and 4.84 %. This study contributes to enhancing the low-carbon and economic performance of RIES by exploring carbon trading and green certificate trading mechanisms.