A key challenge in the grid meeting it’s renewable energy requirements is facilitating more intermittent electricity generation which are principally from renewable sources e.g. solar and wind. This creates new challenges for the grid; the grid operator needs to be able to react swiftly to changes in wind and solar output. A key enabler to allowing more renewable intermittent generation is through Demand Side Services.
Demand Side Services is when the grid not only controls the supply side by turning on or off generation but also controls the Demand Side by turning off consumption. This applies to large energy users that choose to participate in this scheme in exchange for significant payments. This will see back up generators or curtailable load (think non-essential consumption such as a fridge for 90 secs or a cement mill for 5 minutes) turned on or off as the case maybe. The reaction time for Demand Side is much faster than traditional generation and can be met without having to erect a single pylon or pour a drop of cement. Demand Side management uses the existing infrastructure and aggregates numerous sites with numerous loads to create a large virtual power plant.
Large Energy Users can earn significant revenues by participating in this scheme and this also enables more renewable generation on to the grid.
CCL’s sister company VIOTAS is a market leader on the provision of Demand Side Services and Technology. Its proprietary hardware and software solution is capable of reacting in milliseconds and is the only Demand Side technology that has proven to EirGrid that it can supply all the primary Demand Side Services being procured to date.
For more information visit www.VIOTAS.com
