Demand Managment and Energy Storage - Research Paper Example

? Load Management Techniques Introduction: Power companies are poised to supply reliable, secure and good quality power at consumers’ demand at any time. The supply of electricity power depends largely on demand for these products and power services. An appropriate supply of this energy resource is very much important in human lives. Load demand profiles are referred as the amount of the energy demanded. Load management techniques deal with proper and sustainable supply of power service. The demand for the power service varies across time periods. When most customers use electricity the demand for the power source remains very high and at the time when the demand is less most of the customers do not use the power. Hence, the load curve varies considerably across time points. That is why the peak curve looks like the following: Figure: Demand for electricity power at different points of time There are lots of advantages and disadvantages of the increasing use of the power source. Electricity is used as the main source of power energy while use of this energy is increasing the carbon and sulphuric dioxide (CO2 & SO2) around the world. Summary: The author has argued that the electricity power is the most important utility service provided to mankind. It has been helping mankind to shape and contribute towards the processes of progress and developments of human lives since a long time. But over the past centuries the demand for electricity power has been raised to a great extent as well. Hence, the need for load management has been necessary for companies which supply electric services. The paper brings to light various load management techniques from both sides: demand side and supply side and thus to sustainability meet the growing demand for electricity services. Research describes various load management techniques which the power companies can apply to restructure the load curve of electric utility services and also to reduce the mountain demand for electricity services. The article also describes load management techniques to argue that the power companies all over the world should use various incentives for the purpose of helping customers to adjust load curves. Load management techniques are necessary for companies which supply electricity services and also for consumers to use electricity services or power services more effectively. The article opines that with the help of effective load management techniques, companies will be able to waste less energy resources and hence will be able to increase the effectiveness of the use of electricity power. Another important benefit that can be acquired from effective use of load management services is increment in global competitiveness and control in demand for electricity services and also for energy services (Bellannine, 2000, pp. 139-144). The article into the wider context: In every sphere of life electricity services are required and hence the demand for these services is growing rapidly. Business organisations, educational institutes as well as houses need electricity services each and every time of their lives. Due to all these reasons the industry for electricity services is growing rapidly in modern times compared to the past. Companies which supply electricity services to households and business organisations need to meet up the growing demand. The growing need for electricity power throughout the world has implemented the need for reservation and also of the management of demand and supply of these energy services (Farret and Simoes, 2006, pp.19-21). The demand and supply management are required to provide large supply of these services to the customers and also to provide sustainable use of electricity power across the globe. Load management techniques are required to be used by companies which supply electricity services all over the world to ensure this sustainable use of electricity power. This will help to effectively manage the demand for and supply of these resources all over the world. The load management technique can be used by power companies to provide a restructured functioning of electricity services to the users or customers. However, the most important reason for this effective use of load management techniques is to reduce the peak level of demand of electricity power in everyday life (Bellarmine and Arokiaswamy, 1999, pp.486-488). Load management techniques are part of the broader concept which is known as the Electrical Energy Management (EEM). The notion of EEM has been popularised in the 21st century especially amongst the developed nations of the world. This ensures the effective management of electrical power and energy resources which are used in the generation of electrical power. These notions of electrical energy management and load management techniques are related to current global issues like economic and environmental advancements in countries across the globe (Sioshansi, 2011, p.451). After the introduction of the need for incorporating these notions into planning regarding economic as well as environmental decisions, countries, in general, and business organisations, in particular, have started to feel the need for applying effective load management techniques. The notion of demand side management and the notion of supply side management have been introduced in the modern business organisations and in the production and distribution of electricity power services in the modern world. These services are most frequently used in everyday lives of mankind (Gellings and Chamberline, 2010, pp.214-215). Hence, effective use of these resources as well as the effective preservation of these resources for future generations is most efficiently solved by these load management techniques (Houston, 2010, p.84). The two sides of load management techniques are demand side management and supply side management (Mohamed and Khan, 2009, p.14). The notion of supply side management deals with the production of electricity power and electricity power services. The notion of supply of electricity power includes production and distribution of acceptable standard of electricity power to customers with high level of reliable energy quality. The most important property of electricity power is that it cannot be stored in the sense that electricity power cannot be stored and used later. In this context electricity power resources are completely different from other natural resources like water. Hence, the current level of supply of electricity power needs to be greater than the current volume of demand for this resource (Tellegen and Wolsing, 2009, pp.54-55). In the face of fluctuating demand for electricity power by consumers across different fields like residential consumers, commercial consumers and industrial consumers it becomes very much difficult for companies which produce and/or supply electricity power to all these types of customers to maintain the match between demand and supply. On the contrary, the demand for electricity has been growing worldwide in modern times. Hence, this growing demand for electricity power and services is making it as a scarce resource. Under these circumstances the level of production and distribution of the resource needs to be maintained in an effective and sustainable manner (Mohamed and Khan, 2009, pp. 16-17). The notion of demand for electricity power and electricity services is related to the notion of demand for a good which is used by consumers of all kinds. Consumers include residential users of electricity, business and commercial users and also industrial users of the resource. The demand for the resource is at its peak and this demand is expected to rise in the future. This increase in demand for the good is mainly due to the fact that mankind is getting more dependent on technologies and as technologies depend mostly on greater use of electricity power. This growing demand for this energy resource is also creating great challenges to companies which are producing and distributing these resources to those consumers. In the face of increasing demand these companies need to use greater demand as well as supply management activities to balance the demand for and supply of the resource (Ashok, 2006, pp.414-415). The notion of demand side management focuses on the fact that the most important property of the electricity power is that it cannot be stored. Hence, the notion of demand management deals with this fact and hence considers strategies and techniques which can be used to effectively generate electricity power at the time of generation of demand for electricity power. In fact, the notion of demand management considers this demand for the power with the help of effective use of the technologies to supply the exact amount of the power. Due to this mismatch between the demand and supply of electricity power, the level curve has been drawn in such a way that it represents the amount of electricity power consumed by customers over time. The most important use of this curve is that companies which supply power services to power consumers use this curve to predict the demand for electricity power in a particular time point and thus to supply the required amount of power to consumers. The load curve can take any kind of shape at different time periods (Kelly and Eger, 2008, pp.351-352). According to Bellarmine (2000), “demand-side management describes the planning and implementation of activities designed to influence customers in such a way that the load shape curve of the utility company can be modified to produce power in an optimal way. There are six demand-side management load shapes, each shape representing its own objectives: peak clipping, valley filling, load shifting, strategic conservation, strategic load growth, and flexible load shape.” (Bellarmine, 2000, p. 140) The notion of load management deals with this load curve and controls the load of electricity power, instead of controlling the amount of production of power at different power stations. The concept of load management deals with the creation of large volume of balance between the demand and supply of electricity power in the world. In case of long-term load management of electricity power deals with technological advancements in regard to building up models which are required to effectively handle the physical and distributional properties of electricity power and services. Use of load management techniques helps power plants and companies to achieve the maximum level of load factor. This maximum level of plant load factor helps these companies to achieve the level of output of power which is consistent with the maximum level of power that the corresponding plant can produce. With the help of effective application of load management techniques, power companies can be able to successfully handle the balance between the demand and supply of electricity power in the market (Talukdar and Gellings, 2009, pp.154-159). During the period when the demand for electricity is at its peak, the use of load management programmes helps to reduce the demand peak and thus controls the balance between the demand and supply of the product. This strategy of reducing the peak demand for the power also helps in reducing the cost of services of providing the power to consumers and also helps in postponing the demand for electricity power for the future. This strategy of load shifting reduces the demand for the power by forcing consumers to consume the power during off-peak times compared to the current peak time (Bellarmine, 2000, p. 140). The main findings of the paper: The paper deals with the effective supply side management and effective demand side management which are aimed at executing a process of efficient load management process in the production, distribution and usage of electricity supply. In case of demand side management the article talks about following demand side management practices: Modifications of power curves which are aimed at efficient use of electricity power: Production of optimum amount of power in the existing market for power is the most important aim of this strategy. This technique comprises six load shapes, where each load shapes contains its own objectives: Peak clipping: This technique is efficient because it reduces the service cost by decreasing the need to run at various services’ most expensive money. This reduction in cost is also be achieved by delaying the needs of capacity for the future. Valley filling: This technique is used to encourage consumers to utilize the higher amounts of power energy at the time when the cost of service is at the low level. Load shifting: This technique is used by the power companies to encourage consumers to use the power in the of-peak periods instead of peak periods. This technique is used by combining peak clipping and valley filling techniques. Strategic conservation: this technique is used to encourage consumers to consume lower amounts of power over the entire day in general. This technique helps in reducing the level of fuel consumption and delays consumption by construction of new power plants for the purpose of meeting the future growth of power demand. Strategic load growth: this technique is used to encourage consumers to take over all electrotechnologies. This policy works by effectively by reducing the service cost. Flexible load shape: with the help of this strategy power companies can decide operating as well as future costs. These can be determined through allowing flexible dispatchers for reducing and delaying the demand for specific consumers. Reduction of the level of Lighting loads which is aimed at providing 30 percent of consumption of lighting by residential sources and the rest by commercial and industrial users. This strategy depends on the use of light bulbs with certain capacity like 60–W or 100–W. An appropriate replacement of motors which is aimed at efficient and perfect supply of electricity power to customers. This strategy is aimed at providing an improvement in 1 k W to 75 k W range of power in the efficiency improvement of the power. These improvements are: Power losses: This is achieved through the replacement of aluminium windings with copper windings. Winding losses and friction losses: This is achieved by using good bearings. Core losses: This is achieved by the use of high-quality silicon steel, used at the stator and rotor winding. Improvements in the use of high voltage air conditioning (HVAC): This is aimed at providing a perfect and cheap supply of electricity power to customers. This strategy is aimed at providing a supply of controlled air to the households and to increase the efficiency of the power. Implementation of smart Home Automation System which will not only reduce the level of waste of electricity power and power services supplied to customers, but will also control the peak level of demand in each period of time (Bellarmine, 2000, pp.140-142). According to the article, a successful implementation of these strategies will create much greater balance between the demand and supply of electricity power. However, these strategies need to be matched up with those strategies which are part of supply side management techniques. Successful utilisation of both demand side management strategies and supply side management strategies will help companies as well as consumers to effectively use the energy source. The main supply side management strategies are: Practising the generation of waste-to-energy which is aimed at producing two benefits. The first benefit is related to the fact that it reduces the damage of precious groundwater and the second benefit deals with the cost effectiveness in building new facilities of generation of power. Implementing the strategy of superconductivity in the power generation process involves using a resistance free technology in the process of electricity generation system comprising the source of electricity and ‘power to the motors and switches that eventually use the power’ (Bellarmine, 2000, p. 143). Huge amount of energy could be stored in superconducting magnetic energy storage (SMES). Uses of strategies like wind and solar energy: Policies are aimed to make these technologies more sufficient and competitive for reducing the load of electricity power generation. Implementation of policy of using pumped hydro facilities which are aimed at meet the peak level of consumers demand. Various advantages of these policies are described below: Regulation of load and voltage Quick response Increment in the overall system energy Effective for projects like water supply, food control, as well as nuclear cooling facilities. Implementation of efficient and economic storage facilities like compressed air energy and thermal energy: This strategy of storage of alternative energy sources is aimed at producing the power effectively at the time of peak demand to maintain a balance between the demand for and supply of electricity power (Bellarmine, 2000, pp.142-144). Critical assessment of methodologies and assumptions: The article considers various aspects of demand for and supply of electricity power. The most important assumption that the article has made is that load management techniques are as much easier for developing or less developed countries to apply as that of developed countries. However, these load management techniques are largely dependent on new technological advancements through large volume of investments in research and development. These investments are very much difficult for developing and less developed countries to make. Hence, effective use of electricity power through effective implementation of load management techniques is very much difficult to apply worldwide (Bellarmine, 2000, pp.139-144). Again the article did not use any empirical study regarding the effective use of load management techniques. The article logically concludes that effective use of load management techniques through effective use of demand side and supply side management appropriately reduces the level of waste of electricity power and also provides greater effective assess of the energy source. However, methods, in which demand side and supply side management techniques or particularly the load management techniques and their possible effective uses are explained, can be used by power companies and consumers (Bellarmine, 2000, pp.139-144). However, the article does not discussed and the disadvantages of any demand-supply management technique and these disadvantages suppose to be mentioned in order to give the reader a wide idea to understand the concept of each technique. In addition to that, there are other ideas that may be used as in the demand side management. One of these ideas is the distributed generation. The notion of distributive generation is related to the fact that power energy is collected from many different sources and supplied. The most important advantage of use of distribution generation techniques is that it creates lesser negative impacts on the environment. This also improves the level of security in the process of supplying electricity power. This is generated by mass-production techniques and used by several companies across the world. However, the most important problem associated with the application of distributed generation is that it needs greater amounts of investments at the beginning of the production process which becomes very much difficult for most of the power companies to generate at the beginning (Bellarmine, 2000, pp. 146-147). Flywheel energy storage (FES) system is used by power companies to accelerate the power rotor or Flywheel and also to maintain the energy in the system in the form of rotational energy. The most important advantage of this energy storage facility is that it is not affected by changes in temperature and it is not affected by ineffectiveness in the operation of chemical rechargeable batteries. One of the most important problems of using this flywheel storage is that it depends on the tensility. If the operating strength of the flywheel fails then all the stored sources are released. It also loses a lot of energy within a short period of time (Bellamine, 2000, pp. 148-149) Fuel Cell Energy Storage is one of the most important energy storage facilities available in the present world. It is used by generating electricity power by deriving chemical energy from fuel energy. This is widely used in buses, airplanes, boats, submarines etc. The most important advantage of use of this energy source is that it helps in effective and always available source of power. However, the most important problem of this energy source is that it is very much costly for power companies to generate (Bellarmine, 2000, pp. 149-150). Conclusions and recommendations of the article: The main conclusion of the article is that effective use of load management techniques is largely dependent upon the effective uses of both demand side management techniques as well as supply side management techniques. Again effective use of demand side management techniques depend largely upon the particular benefit of the technology in case of particular home. The article also concludes that the power companies motivate consumers to implement effective demand side management techniques so that the effective use of electricity power can be implemented in every house, commercial place or industry. According to Bellarmine (2000), “the power companies will make sacrifices (either rate reductions or interest-free financing for specific technologies related to load shape objectives) and consumers will make sacrifices by exploring the options available and altering their lifestyles moderately” (Bellarmine, 2000, p.144). This policy will help power companies as well as consumers to achieve the level of load management in the system of demand for and supply of electricity power throughout the world. In these ways the sustainable use of electricity power can also be ensured (Bellarmine, 2000, p.144). Different energy storage and various demand management techniques are listed in this article. These are listed for the purpose of providing a wider view to the reader which power companies are facing in relation to demand management and storage of energy. Thus, sustainable uses of load demand side and supply side management techniques will make load management techniques globally competitive and hence will increase the efficiency of the use of this power source. References 1. Ashok S, (2006), Peak- loads management in steel plants, Applied energy, Vol. 83, pp.413-428. 2. Bellarmine, G. T. (2000), LOAD MANAGEMENT TECHNIQUES, IEEE, available at: http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/xpl/freeabs_all.jsp?arnumber=845449 (accessed on February 17, 2012) 3. Bellarmine, G. T. and Arokiaswamy, N. S. S. (1999), Load Management, Wilev Encyclopedia of Electrical and Electronics Engineering, Vol. 11, pp.482-494 4. Farret, F. A. and Simoes, M. G. (2006), Integration of alternative sources of energy, UK: John Wiley & Sons 5. Gellings, C. W. and Chamberline, J. H. (2010), Demand-side management: concepts and methods, UK: Fairmont Press 6. Houston, D. A. (2010), Demand-side management: ratepayers beware!, UK: Institute for Energy Research 7. Kelly, K. J. and Eger, C. (2008), Measuring industrial energy savings, Applied Energy, Vol. 85, No. 5, pp.347-361. 8. Mohamed, A. and Khan, M. T. (2009), A review of electrical energy management techniques: supply and consumer side (industries), Journal of Energy in Southern Africa, Vol. 20, No. 3, pp.14-21 9. Sioshansi, F. P. (2011), Smart Grid: Integrating Renewable, Distributed & Efficient Energy, UK: Academic Press 10. Talukdar, S. and Gellings, G. W. (2009), Load Management, UK: IEEE Press 11. Tellegen, E. and Wolsing, M. (2009), Society and its environment: an introduction, London: Routledge Read More