Advanced Energy Management Systems and Demand-Side Measures for Buildings towards the Decarbonisation of Our Society

Electricity supply/demand balancing measures have traditionally been achieved by controlling conventional generation in response to energy demand variations. However, increasing renewable generation can lead to more significant changes on the supply side, requiring a faster balancing response from grid operators. Standard generation units may not have sufficient ramping capabilities to counter high volatility in renewable energy generation. Modern forecasting techniques and advanced control systems can mitigate such challenges and flexible demand resources and demand-side management measures. Among demand-side management measures, demand response has been promoted as a critical mechanism to increase the percentage of renewable energies in the system. The widespread adoption of demand response programs leads to a paradigm shift in the way operators manage the grid. Such changes require a bi-directional communication link and advanced energy management systems that monitor building consumption and operations. Innovations such as building home automation, diffusion of intelligent appliances and energy management system integration are necessary prerequisites to boost the power system’s efficiency while increasing the renewable penetration towards an affordable and clean energy supply. Combining these measures with energy management systems equipped with advanced artificial intelligence algorithms enables electricity end-users to modulate their electricity consumption by dynamically responding to fluctuations in the power generation caused by renewable. The increased capacity of the controllable load through these devices actively contributes to the higher penetration of renewable energy and the decarbonisation of our society.