Demand side management in low voltage networks with thermal storage of residential buildings

© 2019 Mohammad-Javad JazaeriThis thesis investigates the impact of the thermal inertia of residential buildings on electricity demand. The analysis demonstrates the significant potential of residential buildings in providing technical and financial flexibility to the electricity grid. This study has important implications for demand-side management in the emerging electricity networks with renewable generation. Generation and demand must be balanced at all times. In the classical power system, this balance is achieved by controlling generation. High penetration of intermittent renewable generation leads to decrease control over electricity generation. Demand-side management programs, such as residential demand response, are emerging as an attractive approach to balance demand and generation by controlling demand. The emergence of distributed energy resources and energy storage systems in residential buildings has enabled many demand-side management programs in residential buildings. While there exists a rich literature on residential demand response, most works either focus on electricity storage in batteries or thermal storage in water heaters. Not all households can afford batteries, and hot-water tanks cannot be used to shift the cooling demand of the buildings. However, all houses have thermal mass, and most have electric heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning (HVAC) systems. In this thesis, the combined effect of building thermal inertia and HVAC control on shifting peak electricity demand in low voltage network during summer is investigated. Three approaches are studied: Passive approach (external walls), Indirect approach (HVAC system control), and Direct approach (ice storage system). The analysis shows the significant potential of these approaches in shifting the peak electricity demand of the low voltage network and providing technical and financial flexibility to the electricity network