Mechanical Engineering Commons^™

Local Peer-To-Peer Communication To Improve Demand Response In Residential Neighborhoods, Ryan Schwartz

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Increased electricity production from intermittent renewables presents a challenge to utilities. Since the grid has little ability to store energy, fluctuations in solar and wind generation require either an increase in generation from expensive sources or a reduction of demand. Demand Response (DR) programs focus on the latter and are designed to increase grid flexibility by allowing grid operators to modify when or how customers use electricity. For residential customers, this typically means shedding load during periods of high demand through a central controller temporarily shutting off air conditioning (AC) compressors. This type of DR can cause spikes in demand …