Local Electricity Demand Research Articles

Think Globally, Distribute Power Locally: The Promise of Nanogrids

Nanogrids use price to mediate local electricity supply and demand, improving electricity allocation at the local level, facilitating integration of local storage and generation, and achieving more efficient use of low-voltage DC from local sources.

Photovoltaic potential in a Lisbon suburb using LiDAR data

Abstract A procedure for estimating the photovoltaic (PV) potential of an urban region from LiDAR data using the Solar Analyst tool is described. The total PV potential of the 538 identified buildings is around 11.5 GWh/year for an installed capacity of 7 MW, which corresponds to 48% of the local electricity demand. It is shown that for a low PV penetration (about 10% of total roof area) the PV potential can be well estimated by considering no shade and local optimum inclination and orientation. For high PV penetration (i.e. covering all roof area available) the PV potential can be well estimated by considering a horizontal surface with the footprint area of the buildings. These results suggest a simple first-approximation estimation of the PV potential of an urban area without the need for a full 3D analysis of mutual shading on a Surface Digital Model.

Demand-side management opportunities for the UK domestic sector

The electricity demand signatures of individual UK dwellings, and of the main types of domestic appliance employed by households, have been collected and analysed. Means for modulating these electricity demands have been investigated experimentally. Peak power reductions of up to 60% have been achieved by developing 'load conscious' control algorithms for individual cooking and washing appliances, without adversely affecting their performances. Peak avoidance via an integrated control philosophy (for managing a household's coincident peak power demands) and thermal storage, have also been assessed. If widely applied in UK housing, the findings of this investigation could serve to substantially smooth local and national electricity demand profiles.