A Smart Direct Load Control Approach Using Dynamic Voltage Control for Demand Response Programs

Abstract

—This study proposes a direct load control (DLC) approach for residential demand response (DR) programs, which uses a dynamic voltage control method to reduce the peak electricity consumption in homes. In the proposed approach, if a utility needs to reduce electrical load consumption, a DLC signal is sent to a smart meter (SM) either via utility’s communication infrastructure. SM communicates with a group of smart plugs attached to selected domestic appliances to individually reduce the output voltage. The electrical consumption of selected appliances can be reduced without turning them OFF. Hence, the peak demand of a residential house can be reduced without turning off selected power-intensive loads, like in a classic direct load control (DLC) approach used by several electric utilities. The proposed dynamic voltage control is operated can be done within a certain limit defined set by international standards to avoid any possible negative impacts on domestic appliances. The results indicated that the proposed DLC could reduce the peak electricity demand up to around 32% using both voltage control and renewable energy. The proposed approach is expected to give flexibility to utilities to control the electrical demand of homes while ensuring participants remain more comfortable during a DR event.