Abstract

Renewable energy sources (RES) such as solar energy make electric grid sustainable and inexpensive. However, uncertainty of RES affect reliability of the grid. Solar power generation is more inconsistent compared to other RESs as it is only available for a half of the day, especially during the evening peak. Though battery energy storage could provide a solution, they are expensive. Flexibility in power consumption could act similar to a battery.

Temperature controlled equipment (TCE) could be considered as the most flexible power consumption. For instance, people are comfortable in a range of ambient temperature (not just one value). In this study, flexibility in TCE is used to counter variability of solar power. A neighborhood consist of 120 dwelling units (DU) is studied for their air conditioner power demand flexibility. Predictions of DU temperature, solar power generation and power consumption are used to increase the certainty. Results show a peak demand reduction of 30%.