A Stackelberg–cooperative game-based low-carbon dispatch for multi-regional integrated energy systems with shared energy storage

To address the challenges of coordinated low-carbon operation arising from the integration of multi-regional integrated energy systems (MRIES) into active distribution networks (ADNs), this paper proposes a hybrid game-theoretic dispatch method for shared energy storage (SES) and MRIES that jointly captures carbon and renewable constraints, strategic interactions among participants, and hierarchical decision-making. A coordinated interaction framework defines the operational rules and market mechanisms, integrating carbon emission trading and green certificate trading. A hierarchical Stackelberg–cooperative game model captures the strategic behaviors of the ADN, MRIES alliance, and SES operator, while a two-stage optimization strategy sequentially determines SES operation to mitigate power fluctuations and reduce costs, followed by coordinated energy dispatch among MRIES members to support ADN demand response with fair benefit allocation via Shapley values. Simulation results on the modified IEEE 30-bus system and scalability validation on the IEEE 57-bus system demonstrate the effectiveness and scalability of the proposed method in achieving coordinated low-carbon and cost-efficient operation.