The facilitation of wind generation in Ireland's electricity market using demand response.

peer-reviewedAs part of a European Union climate change and energy package that aims to reduce greenhouse gases by 20%, reach 20% penetration of renewable energy, and improve energy efficiency by 20% by 2020, Ireland has committed to generating 40% of its electricity using indigenous renewable sources, primarily wind, by 2020. As wind is an intermittent energy source, a key challenge will be to increase the flexibility of the electricity system in order to maximise yields from the installed wind generation capacity and to minimise curtailment. With the advent of smart grid technologies, substantial focus is being placed on demand side management, or more specifically demand response as a means of achieving the necessary flexibility. In contrast to energy storage which shifts the timing of energy availability, demand response aims to manipulate consumer’s demand to more efficiently use available generation sources. This is typically achieved using suitable financial reward structures; however, it requires the provision of advanced metering and information systems to the consumer. This project examines the suitability of a real-time pricing tariff based on Ireland’s electricity market spot price to determine whether or not the resulting demand flexibility is conducive to increasing the facilitation of wind generated electricity. Demand response is simulated using three load types: a dishwasher, an electric car, and an immersion water heater. As well as optimising in response to price, optimisations in response to wind availability and carbon intensity are examined and their results compared to determine the significance of the yields achieved using price optimisation. Furthermore, yield reductions resulting from the use of imperfect day-ahead prediction data are analysed. Although the results highlight significant benefits, considerable conflicts occur primarily when price optimising thermal loads