Virtual power plants and DSM

Renewables with Demand Side Management

Due to the increased promotion of electricity from renewable energy sources in the EU-directive 2001/77/EC renewable power generation technologies will be forced.

Especially in Austria wind energy with a potential up to 1.700 MW can lead to a high grid loading and to an increased demand of balancing energy. The insufficient capacity of the transmission system and the high demand of balancing energy can result in congestions, which form a barrier for the rapid introduction of wind energy.

The aim of this project is to dissipate balance energy locally. For this purpose Demand Side Management (DSM) is a precondition, whereas the local load is controlled in the manner of a virtual power station according to the fluctuations of wind generation.

As a further precondition a sufficient potential for load has to be locally available for DSM and the load has to be flexible in time. These characteristics are given particularly in domestic electrical heating applications. As the energy demand of households is dominated by space heating and hot water, the usage of bivalent (fuel/electric) heating systems can result in a bigger potential for DSM. The wind fluctuations can be balanced locally by switching additional heaters in conventional fossil heating systems (bivalent heating systems).

Furthermore high efficiency can be achieved in the substitution of fossil fuel. CO2-emissions can be saved by reducing balance energy (supplied by conventional thermal power plants) and by reducing domestic fuel.

Project status

finished

Project leader

O. Univ. Prof. Dr. Günther Brauner
TU Wien, Institut für Elektrische Anlagen und Energiewirtschaft
Gusshausstrasse 25/373
A-1040 Wien
Tel: +43 (0)1/58801-37318
E-Mail: g.brauner@tuwien.ac.at
Internet: http://www.ea.tuwien.ac.at

Institute

TU Wien, Institut für Elektrische Anlagen und Energiewirtschaft