Energy–Economy Coupled Simulation Approach and Simulator Based on Invididual-Based Model

An integrated energy system, referred to specifically as a heterogeneous energy system that combines cooling, heating, power, etc., is a dynamic system containing continuous as well as discrete behaviors on both technical and economic levels. Currently, the comprehensive utilization of multiple forms of energy and the implementation of the energy market have made the simulation of such a system very complicated, which is reflected in two aspects. First, the simulation model becomes complex and varied. Second, the time-varying characteristics of the models are quite diverse. Therefore, a standard and normative modeling and simulation method is urgently needed. This work aims to obtain a compatible modeling and simulation method for the energy economy coupling system. The individual-based model is widely used to describe organisms in an ecology system that are similar to the energy–economy coupled system. Inspired by this, a general simulation approach based on the individual-based model is proposed in this paper to overcome these existing problems. The standard formal expression model is built, then its structure and elements explained in detail, and multi-scale time simulation supported to model and simulate an integrated energy system that is coupled with markets. In addition, a simulator is designed and implemented based on multi-agent framework and model-view-controller architecture. Finally, a simulation case of a conceived scenario was designed and executed, and the results analysis proved the validity and versatility of the proposed approach. The proposed method has the advantages of model standardization, multi-scale time compatibility, distributed simulation capability, and privacy protection. These advantages support and strengthen each other. Through these studies, a systematic approach was formed that could improve the standardization of modeling and simulation in the energy–economy research area.