Enhancing Flexibility in Integrated Energy Systems in a Low-Carbon Context: Status and Challenges

Integrated energy system (IES) is becoming increasingly crucial to enhance flexibility in the transition towards a low-carbon and clean energy system. This paper investigates the definition of flexibility and analyzes the challenges of the power system in the context of low-carbon transition. Subsequently, the definition of flexibility in IES is derived based on that of the power system. Afterward, modeling approaches for improving flexibility in IES are discussed. Finally the flexibility identification and assessment in IES, the flexible scheduling and operation of IES, and the flexibility market mechanism for IES are reviewed to investigate the flexibility-improving measures for IES. This review paper aims to provide an overview of the current state of research on the enhancement of flexibility in IES under a low-carbon background and presents prospects in this area.