The main result described in this report is the definition of an algorithm to calculate the optimal operating program of a multi-energy system with a short-term time horizon (one or more days). The algorithm is based on a mixed integer linear model with two calculation steps. In the first step, the basic program that meets demand is identified and defines the acquisition of the necessary resources on the day-ahead electricity and gas markets. The second step maximizes the flexibility of the system, based on the dispatching set in the first step, which satisfies the requirements of the various enabled services and whose economic sustainability is verified. The market services offered are defined as pairs: modulation of the dispatch point and economic value. This formulation is extremely flexible since, if the service is requested, the modulation envisaged at the dispatch point is applied. Otherwise, if the service is not activated, the dispatch point is not modified and the program remains unchanged in terms of content and properties.

Alongside the algorithm, the activity also developed a flexibility model from the point of view of a Multi Energy System (MES) operator. The need to develop such a model arises from the fact that flexibility appears to be an increasingly important resource for the security of the electrical system. The proposed flexibility model consists of a certain number of flexibility categories, such as operational flexibility, balancing flexibility between energy carriers, and flexibilities relating to the regulatory framework and the economics of market products. These categories are involved in the various phases of MES management and influence the amount of flexibility, sometimes decisively. The defined model provides a useful metric for multiple figures: the MES operator, who plays his role as a manager, and those responsible for planning and regulating the network to quantify the effectiveness of the contribution of multi-energy systems to support the entire electrical system.