Smart sockets: An enabling system for domestic consumer based demand - response electrical energy management programs
Date
2013-01-31
Authors
Abdullah, Muhammad Mehroze
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Abstract
Electrical energy demand in developing countries is expected to rise significantly by
the year 2020. To achieve electrical grid operational reliability the electrical grid
operators need to keep a balance between their generation and consumption curve.
The increase in demand requires expansion in the current generation capacity. This
expansion can be achieved by bringing more green and renewable electrical energy
generation resources into the electrical grid system. Keeping the electrical generation
and distribution system in stable form at all times is a very complex task. Electricity
utilities need to keep a balance between generation and consumption curves in order
to achieve reliable grid operations. Grid operators have used many techniques to
achieve reliability in grid operations. Demand-side management and demand response
strategies are examples of a few of those techniques. “Smart grid” is the overall
solution of most of these problems. However, smart grid has its own pros and cons.
On the other hand, electrical energy consumers at present are not actively
participating in the operations of electrical grids. This lack of participation is both in
developed and developing countries. Research has shown that benefits were achieved
when electrical energy consumers participated in the electrical grid operations. Grid
operators in the past have used different demand response strategies to minimize this
gap of interaction between the electrical energy consumers and electricity utilities.
Demand response programs or strategies used at present are predominantly for
commercial or large electrical energy consumers. There are very few of the demand
response strategies deployed for domestic electrical energy consumers. All the present
demand response strategies are utility-based strategies, that is electricity utilities have
full control over a domestic consumer’s electrical energy consumption. When
required utilities can switch the appliance ON or OFF in a domestic consumer’s
household. This utility driven strategy can result in consumer’s dissatisfaction.
Utilities need to offer demand response programs for the domestic electrical energy
consumers. However offering consumer based demand response programs require the
active participation from the consumer’s side. Electricity utilities must provide their
consumers with the information about their electrical energy consumption in realtime.
This requires equipment that can monitor electrical energy consumption in realtime
and send it back to the utility and the consumer. Smart meters have been used to
serve the purpose, however they have their problems. The domestic consumer needs
to be onsite (at his home) in order to benefit from the information displayed on a
smart meter. Since domestic consumers are not at home at all times the information
displayed on the smart meter is not useful. This makes the use of smart meters
inefficient. This dissertation proposes a system based on the concept of smart power
sockets which can be used at a domestic electrical energy consumer’s household in
order to monitor their electrical energy in real-time and alert them about their
electrical energy consumption when required. These smart power sockets also enable
the consumers to control their appliance remotely (to switch them ON or OFF when
required). The prototype system has been developed and tested. The results suggest
that domestic electrical energy consumers reacted to the information provided to them
about their electrical energy information. Based on the information provided the
domestic electrical energy consumer was able to reduce his/her electrical energy
consumption. In some cases it is also noticed that the domestic electrical energy
consumer shifted some of his/her load from peak time of electrical energy demand to
the off peak time. Based on these results it is recommended that electricity utilities
must consider offering demand response programs that are mainly driven by the
domestic electrical energy consumers themselves.