Review and comparison of demand response options for more effective use of renewable energy at consumer level

Power grids have faced major challenges such as increasing consumption, peak demand and CO₂ emission. Distributed Generation (DG) as a solution to these issues is affected by source intermittency, grid-side limited storage capabilities and supply/demand mismatch. In order to achieve more benefits and profits for both customers and the utility, integrated demand management techniques can be used. This paper reviews the issues caused by high penetration of renewables in power production, depending on utility characteristics. In addition, several methods in the literature were reviewed and their both single and combined use was investigated with a comparison study in Turkey. In field data based simulations, consumption of refrigerators were scheduled according to the output of a small scale PV system and changes in consumption in a year were calculated. The results were analyzed and compared with each other from the standpoint of change in amount of power taken from grid, number of active operation hours shifted to solar periods, change in annual consumption and achievable savings in electricity bills. In addition to the analysis and comparison of several management methods, the paper also proposes a number of terms that widens applicability and can be used in decision-making processes.