Pricing and benefit coordination for power-carbon linkage trading of the rural energy prosumer cluster: the perspective of sharing economy

The new rural energy prosumers are a crucial carrier for promoting rural energy transformation. However, the independent operation of rural energy prosumers results in issues, such as resource waste and high costs. Therefore, based on the sharing economy theory, designing a power-carbon linkage trading mechanism within a rural energy prosumer cluster is necessary to enhance both environmental and economic benefits. A pricing optimization and benefit coordination model is proposed for a rural energy operator and a prosumer cluster. (1) The external pricing model establishes an operator-prosumer collaborative operation optimization model and a differential pricing strategy, along with a carbon trading-carbon offset mutual recognition mechanism. (2) In the internal cluster trading mechanism for power and carbon linkage, by coordinating the contributions of power and emission reduction, power-carbon linkage trading optimization and benefit coordination strategies for the prosumer cluster are proposed. A case simulation is conducted to analyze the pricing strategies and optimal coordinated operation of the rural energy operator and prosumer cluster. The study offers actionable policy implications for the further sustainable development of the rural energy community.