Grid-scale demand-side flexibility services using commercial buildings lighting loads

Abstract

Flexibility Services can be used to account for the high variability in electricity generation due to increasing renewable energy sources such as wind and solar energy. As buildings become smarter with the adoption of new technologies for sensing and control, more integration between buildings and the electric grid is possible. Building loads such as air conditioning and lighting in commercial buildings have the potential to provide these Flexibility Services. In commercial buildings, lighting accounts for approximately 10–15 % of the load at time. Past studies have shown that lighting can be dimmed by 15–20 % without causing visual discomfort to the occupants. Overall, this study aims to estimate the instantaneous demand reduction that can be provided due to lighting loads using prototypical building models aggregated across electric grid nodes in the Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO) region in the United States. Findings suggest, in a future case with 100 % LED fixtures and 30 % technology penetration for smart lighting controls, lighting loads can provide around 250 to 475 MW (0.21 to 0.39 % of MISO’s peak load) of Flexibility Services in the MISO region. The results can be used as inputs for grid levels models to predict future generation, transmission, and distribution investments for future high renewable energy scenarios.