An autonomous demand response program for electricity and natural gas networks in smart energy hubs

• The integration of the electricity and natural gas networks is considered in smart grids.
• An integrated demand response (IDR) is proposed in multi energy carrier systems.
• Benefits of utility companies are considered in pricing electricity and gas.
• IDR is modeled as an ordinal potential game with strictly concave potential function.
• A distributed algorithm is developed to determine the NE of the IDR game.

The development of technologies such as micro turbines and gas furnaces has been the major driving force towards integration of electricity and natural gas networks in the EH (energy hubs). Besides, the existing power grids are getting smarter by implementing the new generation of information technologies and communication systems. In smart grid, the electricity suppliers can modify the customers' electrical load consumption by employing appropriate scheduling schemes such as DR (demand response) programs. In this paper, we consider the S. E. Hubs (smart energy hubs) framework, in which the customers can use EMS (energy management system) to access to the electricity and natural gas prices data and wisely manage their daily energy consumption. We extend the existing DR programs to the IDR (integrated demand response) programs with the aim of modifying both electricity and natural gas consumption on the customer side. The interaction between S.E. hubs in the IDR program is formulated as a non-cooperative game. The goal of the IDR game is to maximize the natural gas and electricity utility companies' profit and to minimize the customers' consumption cost. It is shown that the proposed game model is an ordinal potential game with unique Nash equilibrium. Simulations are performed on an energy system with 6 S. E. Hubs, one electricity utility, and one natural gas utility companies. The results confirm that the IDR program can benefit both the customer side, by reducing the electricity and gas consumption cost, and the supplier side, by reducing the peak load demand in the electricity and natural gas load profiles.