Abstract
This paper investigates a fully decentralized model for electricity trading within a transactive energy market. The proposed model presents a peer-to-peer (P2P) trading framework between the clients. The model is incorporated for industrial, commercial, and residential energy hubs to serve their associated demands in a least-cost paradigm. The alternating direction method of multipliers (ADMM) is implemented to address the decentralized power flow in this study. The optimal operation of the energy hubs is modeled as a standard mixed-integer linear programming (MILP) optimization problem. The corresponding decision variables of the energy hubs operation are transferred to the peer-to-peer (P2P) market, and ADMM is applied to ensure the minimum data exchange and address the data privacy issue. Two different scenarios have been studied in this paper to show the effectiveness of the electricity trading model between peers, called integrated and coordinated operation modes. In the integration mode, there is no P2P energy trading while in the coordinated framework, the P2P transactive energy market is taken into account. The proposed model is simulated on the modified IEEE 33-bus distribution network. The obtained results confirm that the coordinated model can efficiently handle the P2P transactive energy trading for different energy hubs, addressing the minimum data exchange issue, and achieving the least-cost operation of the energy hubs in the system. The obtained results show that the total operating cost of the hubs in the coordinated model is lower than that of the integrated model by $590.319, i.e. 11.75 % saving in the costs. In this regard, the contributions of the industrial, commercial, and residential hubs in the total cost using the integrated model are $3441.895, $596.600, and $988.789, respectively. On the other hand, these energy hubs contribute to the total operating cost in the coordinated model by $2932.645, $590.155, and $914.165 respectively. The highest decrease relates to the industrial hub by 14.8 % while the smallest decrease relates to the residential hub by 1 %. Furthermore, the load demand in the integrated and coordinated models is mitigated by 13 % and 17 %, respectively. These results indicate that the presented framework could effectively and significantly reduce the total load demand which in turn leads to reducing the total cost and power losses. (c) 2021 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).

Abstract
Emerging technologies are helping to accelerate the ongoing energy transition. At the forefront of these new technologies is blockchain, which has the potential to disrupt energy trading markets. This article explores this potential by presenting an innovative multilevel transactive energy (TE) optimization model for the scheduling of distributed energy resources (DERs) within connected virtual power plants (VPPs). The model allows for energy transactions within a given VPP as well as between connected VPPs. A blockchain-based smart contract layer is applied on top of the TE optimization model to automate and record energy transactions. The model is formulated to adhere to the new regulations for the self-generation and self-consumption of energy in Portugal. This new set of regulations can ease barriers to entry for consumers and increase their active participation in energy markets. Results show a decrease in energy costs for consumers and increased generation of locally produced electricity. This model shows that blockchain-based smart contracts can be successfully integrated into a hierarchical energy trading model, which respects the novel energy regulation. This combination of technologies can be used to increase consumer participation, lower energy bills, and increase the penetration of locally generated electricity from renewable energy sources.

Abstract
Virtual power plants (VPPs) have emerged as a way to coordinate and control the growing number of distributed energy resources (DERs) within power systems. Typically, VPP models have focused on financial or commercial outcomes and have not considered the technical constraints of the distribution system. The objective of this article is the development of a technical VPP (TVPP) operational model to optimize the scheduling of a diverse set of DERs operating in a day-ahead energy market, considering grid management constraints. The effects on network congestion, voltage profiles, and power losses are presented and analyzed. In addition, the thermal comfort of the consumers is considered and the tradeoffs between comfort, cost, and technical constraints are presented. The model quantifies and allocates the benefits of the DER operation to the owners in a fair and efficient manner using the Vickrey-Clarke-Grove mechanism. This article develops a stochastic mixed-integer linear programming model and various case studies are thoroughly examined on the IEEE 119 bus test system. Results indicate that electric vehicles provide the largest marginal contribution to the TVPP, closely followed by solar photovoltaic (PV) units. Also, the results show that the operations of the TVPP improve financial metrics and increase consumer engagement while improving numerous technical operational metrics. The proposed TVPP model is shown to improve the ability of the system to incorporate DERs, including those from commercial buildings.

Abstract
This paper presents a pool trading model within a local energy community considering home energy management systems (HEMSs) and other consumers. A transparent mechanism for market clearing is proposed to incentivise active prosumers to trade their surplus energy within a rule-based pool market in the local energy community. A price-based demand response program (PBDRP) is considered to increase the consumers' willingness to modify their consumption. The mathematical optimization problem is a standard mixed-integer linear programming (MILP) problem to allow for rapid assessment of the trading market for real energy communities which have a considerable number of consumers. This allows for novel energy trading strategies amongst different clients in the model and for the integration of a pool energy trading model at the level of the local energy community. The objective function of the energy community is to minimize the overall bills of all participants while fulfilling their demands. Two different scenarios have been evaluated, independent and integrated operation modes, to show the impacts of coordination amongst different end-users. Results show that through cooperation, end-users in the local energy community market can reduce the total electricity bill. This is shown in a 16.63% cost reduction in the independent operation and a 21.38% reduction in the integrated case. Revenues for active consumers under coordination increased compared to independent operation of the HEMS.

Abstract
Energy hub systems improve energy efficiency and reduce emissions due to the coordinated operation of different infrastructures. Given that these systems meet the needs of customers for different energies, their optimal design and operation is one of the main challenges in the field of energy supply. Hence, this paper presents a two-stage stochastic model for the integrated design and operation of an energy hub in the presence of electrical and thermal energy storage systems. As the electrical, heating, and cooling loads, besides the wind turbine's (WT's) output power, are associated with severe uncertainties, their impacts are addressed in the proposed model. Besides, demand response (DR) and integrated demand response (IDR) programs have been incorporated in the model. Furthermore, the real-coded genetic algorithm (RCGA), and binary-coded genetic algorithm (BCGA) are deployed to tackle the problem through continuous and discrete methods, respectively. The simulation results show that considering the uncertainties leads to the installation of larger capacities for assets and thus a 8.07% increase in investment cost. The results also indicate that the implementation of shiftable IDR program modifies the demand curve of electrical, cooling and heating loads, thereby reducing operating cost by 15.1%. Finally, the results substantiate that storage systems with discharge during peak hours not only increase system flexibility but also reduce operating cost.

Abstract
This paper presents a new framework for the scheduling of microgrids and distribution feeder reconfiguration (DFR), taking into consideration the uncertainties due to the load demand, market price, and renewable power generation. The model is implemented on the modified IEEE 118-bus test system, including microgrids and smart homes. The problem has been formulated as a two-stage model, which at the first stage, the day-ahead self-scheduling of each microgrid is carried out as a two-objective optimization problem. The two objectives include the minimization of the total operating cost and maximization of the consumer's comfort index. Then, the solution, obtained from the first stage is delivered to the distribution system operator (DSO). Then, at the second stage, the DSO determines the optimal configuration of the system with the aim of minimizing operating costs of the main grid and the penalty of deviating from microgrid scheduling. Note that the penalty is due to the difference in power exchange requested by the microgrids from the power exchange finalized by the DSO. The presented two-stage optimization problem is modeled in a mixed-integer linear programing (MILP) framework with four case studies, and solved in GAMS by using the GURUBI solver. The simulation results show that in the cases the DSO is able to reconfigure the system, the deviation from the optimal scheduling of microgrids would be considerably lower than the cases with fixed system configuration.