Demand-Response for the rest of us, the creation of the next generation energy network
Energomonitor is currently involved in an EU funded study called RESPOND, which stands for: Integrated demand REsponse Solution towards POsitive NeighborhooDs. The study itself is designed to use energy monitoring systems to better engage occupants to reduce their energy consumption. What this means is that a variety of information is provided from an energy monitoring system like Energomonitor. This is then combined with software analysis. Finally, the resulting data is utilized to interact with the home occupants with the intention to lead to beneficial changes in energy consumption. This includes adjusting the times that energy-consuming behaviors take place, such as waiting to run the dishwasher or laundry as well as affecting changes to purchase behaviors that might lead to lower consumption — such as lower power consumption appliances or switching to LEDs, etc.
Background
The importance of demand response programs might not seem obvious at first, the cost of energy is relatively low in relation to the utility that it brings. Perhaps it is better to focus solely on increasing renewable energy production and not worry about small increases in optimization. With a study like this — only 24 homes in Madrid, the overall energy savings is just a drop in the bucket. However, when applied across the grid of an entire island, systems like this can completely remove the need for backup generators and demonstrate significant cost savings for island occupants. When applied across Europe, it means billions of Euros in savings and vast reductions in CO2 emissions.
Overview
The RESPOND project is operating in three pilot sites, one in Aarhus, Denmark one in the Aran Islands in Ireland, and one in Madrid, Spain.
The pilot sites that have been chosen for this particular deployment of the RESPOND solution are diverse in terms of the equipment that they have operating in their homes. This means that they have different types of equipment installed with appliances of varying ages. In the dwellings, there are no systems for monitoring consumption of energy except for the electricity, gas and water meters installed by the utility companies themselves. Energomonitor monitoring hardware was installed, in order to be able to remotely monitor the total household energy consumption including the consumption of individual appliances. In addition, devices are in place for monitoring things like CO2 and temperature as well as controlling individual appliances. The use of monitoring hardware, as well as relays for switching on and off electrical appliances, allow us to perform demand response activities that can decrease the cost of electricity and prevent electrical outages.
Demand response works by shifting electricity load over time. This can mean utilizing battery storage systems or switching appliances on or off depending on the relative availability of electricity the concept itself is pretty straightforward, see this example:
Source: https://www.nwcouncil.org/energy/energy-topics/demand-response
In RESPOND, the idea is the same, but the actual implementation demonstrates quite a bit more complexity. Take a look below at the overall architecture of the project which shows how we think a demand response system can function:
The overall aim is simply to increase the availability of energy when and where it is needed and fully optimize the system so that the overall demand for energy can be reduced.
Below is a more detailed diagram of the actual demand-response architecture. In this case, Energomonitor is supplying the sensors and the equipment for remote control of appliances with regard to demand response actions. The brain of the system is the work of a few different research institutions:
Sensors
The system requires a variety of sensors in order to perform the required demand response functions. The most important aspect is the energy monitoring sensors themselves, as well as the relay-switches for controlling energy use. However, a variety of other sensors are employed which improve the system further. Below is a comprehensive list of sensors and their respective functions:
While air quality is not usually considered as a component of demand response systems, we believe that it is an important one. With so much emphasis on reducing power consumption, it is easy to forget about the relative comfort of the occupants.
Houses that are properly sealed against air leaks might have issues with CO2 buildup. Air-conditioning units that are turned down to save energy, might leave the occupants in an uncomfortable dwelling. In this study, one of the primary objectives being measured is the relative satisfaction. If the home occupants are not happy with the steps they have to take to save energy, the pilot will not be a success.
The energomonitor Airsense measures the most important aspects of air quality in the home, CO2 concentration, temperature, and humidity.
Another important aspect of demand response is awareness. While creating a system that controls energy optimization automatically is paramount, not all DR actions happen automatically. It’s still up to the occupants to switch off lights when not in use and be attentive to their energy consumption. An in-home display like the Portasight shows occupants how much energy is being consumed in real time. Using such a display has the potential to significantly increase engagement, satisfaction, and utility in this study.
Conclusion
The pilot will officially begin after the hardware is installed starting on the 6th of August 2018. First, a baseline will be measured and then the actual RESPOND platform will be deployed and the official study will begin. While a relatively modest sample (only 24 dwellings as is the case with Madrid) the success of this pilot will lead to the creation of larger such systems and help to bring about the sustainable energy network of the 21st century. The success of RESPOND will be measured simply in the creation of the system itself and ultimately in all of the lessons learned from the deployment.
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