Evaluation of the performance of aggregated demand response by the use of load and communication technologies models

Abstract

The development of Demand Response in small customer segments is basic to achieve a more flexible demand in the horizon 2030-2050 because these segments account for up to 40 of the overall demand. The involvement of small segments is a difficult task because it requires the necessity to aggregate customer demand in energypower packages. To overcome these difficulties, the aggregation of small customer segments needs both the development of new tools, the integration of other tools and, due to the complexity of the problem, the integration of knowledge from several areas (energy markets, appliances, automation, Information and Communication Technology, or mathematics, in our case, integrated into REDYD-2050, a research network funded by Spanish Government). The first step towards such a goal is the development of simulation tools. This paper deals with two important problems in residential DR: Firstly, the determination of the flexibility and response of the residential demand and second, how the performance of communications technologies can be analysed, and which is its effect on Demand Response characteristics. In this way, and specifically, the paper intends to show how the values and statistical distributions of dwellings, appliances and communication parameters can be considered and, moreover, how they can modify or limit the flexibility of demand response (power, energy, payback or rebound effects), and how to deal with these characteristics and limitations to facilitate the customer participation and response in several Electricity Markets.