Managing Industrial Energy Intelligently: Demand Response Scheme

Electric demand-side management (DSM) focuses on changing the electricity consumption patterns of end-use customers through improving energy efficiency and optimizing the allocation of power. Demand response (DR ) is a DSM solution that targets residential, commercial, and industrial customers and is developed for demand reduction or demand shifting at a specific time for a specific duration. In the absence of on-site generation or the possibility of demand shifting, the consumption level needs to be lowered. While the noncriticality of loads at the residential and commercial levels allows for demand reduction with relative ease, demand reduction of industrial processes requires a more sophisticated solution. Production constraints, inventory constraints, maintenance schedules, and crew management are some of the many factors that have to be considered before one or more processes can be temporarily shut down. An intelligent system is designed in this article for implementation of DR at an industrial site. Based on the various operational constraints of the industrial process, it determines the loads that could be potentially curtailed. Fuzzy/expert systems are used to derive a priority factor for different candidate loads. This information can then be used by the plant operator/DR client to make a comply/opt out decision during a utility-initiated DR event.