A reverse incentive-based demand response strategy for shared energy storage in industrial microgrids: Optimization, scheduling, and investment analysis

Shared energy storage stations (SESS) have emerged as a key solution for balancing electricity supply and demand. However, fully unlocking the potential of SESS requires effective scheduling strategies that account for market mechanisms and active demand-side participation. This study proposes a reverse incentive-based demand response (r-IDR) strategy for industrial SESS and explores its role in optimizing energy scheduling and improving the economic viability of SESS investments. First, a multi-market trading framework and corresponding pricing mechanism are established to formulate an optimization model that maximizes SESS electricity revenues, with comparative analyses of energy flow scheduling on representative winter and summer days. Additionally, an investment decision metric is introduced to evaluate the economic feasibility of SESS deployment from both user and operator perspectives. The results indicate that SESS can significantly reduce user energy costs while enhancing overall profitability. The incorporation of r-IDR further improves SESS performance, increasing its net present value by 13 % and accelerating investment payback. Sensitivity analysis reveals that the r-IDR reward price and the maximum allowable user load adjustment have a substantial impact on economic outcomes, with optimal ranges of 0.2–0.4 CNY/kWh and 30 %–50 %, respectively. The proposed model and analytical framework provide references for policymakers and energy stakeholders, offering practical guidance for the implementation of SESS in industrial applications.