Balancing renewables by demand side management: Local and global potential

Applying Demand Side Management (DSM) for balancing renewable energy sources (RES), makes it possible to increase energy generation of RES without the need for expensive (spinning) reserve on fossil power plants. The potential of DSM has already been demonstrated for peak shaving, but not for balancing RES. After classifying the loads with their specific constraints for DSM , this paper calculates the potential of DSM for households in Belgium. The calculation is based on measured load capabilities, using laboratory measured profiles of each type of load. The potential has been calculated on a local basis (per dwelling) as well as on a global basis (4.5 million households in Belgium). The calculation also considers the influence of including small and medium enterprises (SME’s). To illustrate the importance of DSM, projections for the years 2020 and 2050 are made. These projections make clear that the potential of DSM should be taken into account in decisions on subsidies for RES. The paper is supported by numerical data for the Belgian situation.status: publishe