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Title: Automatic control of electric thermal storage (heat) under real-time pricing. Final report

Abstract

Real-time pricing (RTP) can be used by electric utilities as a control signal for responsive demand-side management (DSM) programs. Electric thermal storage (ETS) systems in buildings provide the inherent flexibility needed to take advantage of variations in prices. Under RTP, optimal performance for ETS operations is achieved under market conditions where reductions in customers` costs coincide with the lowering of the cost of service for electric utilities. The RTP signal conveys the time-varying actual marginal cost of the electric service to customers. The RTP rate is a combination of various cost components, including marginal generation fuel and maintenance costs, marginal costs of transmission and distribution losses, and marginal quality of supply and transmission costs. This report describes the results of an experiment in automatic control of heat storage systems under RTP during the winter seasons of 1989--90 and 1990--91.

Authors:
; ;  [1]
  1. Tabors Caramanis and Associates, Inc. (United States)
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
New York State Energy Research and Development Authority, Albany, NY (United States)
OSTI Identifier:
26391
Alternate Identifier(s):
OSTI ID: 26391; Legacy ID: TI95008322
Report Number(s):
NYSERDA--95-1
ON: TI95008322
Resource Type:
Technical Report
Resource Relation:
Other Information: PBD: Jan 1995
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATION; ELECTRIC UTILITIES; LOAD MANAGEMENT; THERMAL ENERGY STORAGE EQUIPMENT; CONTROL SYSTEMS; NEW YORK; HEAT STORAGE; PRICES; PROGRESS REPORT

Citation Formats

Daryanian, B., Tabors, R.D., and Bohn, R.E. Automatic control of electric thermal storage (heat) under real-time pricing. Final report. United States: N. p., 1995. Web. doi:10.2172/26391.
Daryanian, B., Tabors, R.D., & Bohn, R.E. Automatic control of electric thermal storage (heat) under real-time pricing. Final report. United States. doi:10.2172/26391.
Daryanian, B., Tabors, R.D., and Bohn, R.E. Sun . "Automatic control of electric thermal storage (heat) under real-time pricing. Final report". United States. doi:10.2172/26391. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/26391.
@article{osti_26391,
title = {Automatic control of electric thermal storage (heat) under real-time pricing. Final report},
author = {Daryanian, B. and Tabors, R.D. and Bohn, R.E.},
abstractNote = {Real-time pricing (RTP) can be used by electric utilities as a control signal for responsive demand-side management (DSM) programs. Electric thermal storage (ETS) systems in buildings provide the inherent flexibility needed to take advantage of variations in prices. Under RTP, optimal performance for ETS operations is achieved under market conditions where reductions in customers` costs coincide with the lowering of the cost of service for electric utilities. The RTP signal conveys the time-varying actual marginal cost of the electric service to customers. The RTP rate is a combination of various cost components, including marginal generation fuel and maintenance costs, marginal costs of transmission and distribution losses, and marginal quality of supply and transmission costs. This report describes the results of an experiment in automatic control of heat storage systems under RTP during the winter seasons of 1989--90 and 1990--91.},
doi = {10.2172/26391},
journal = {},
number = ,
volume = ,
place = {United States},
year = {Sun Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 1995},
month = {Sun Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 1995}
}

Technical Report:

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  • Real Time Pricing (RTP) is an innovative rate structure that is expected to encourage energy conservation and demand reduction, and as such, is a demand-side management (DSM) initiative. This project`s objective was to design, demonstrate, and assess the use of RTP in combination with electric thermal storage (ETS) and cool energy storage in several commercial buildings in New York State.
  • Many prominent electric utilities throughout the US are currently investigating real-time pricing rate structures (RTP) as a means of giving their large customers an economic incentive to reduce their electricity usage during periods when the utility`s cost of providing power is high. This report summarizes the results of an engineering study of the technical approach and potential benefits to utilities, commercial customers, and entire communities of RTP. One objective of the report is to enhance the existing automated RTP-based supervisory controller, enabling automated control of many additional building loads. Another is to demonstrate the process at RTP customer sites inmore » each sponsoring utility`s service territory. The study included the development of a conceptual design ad the technical and economic assessment of a candidate field site--the San Francisco Marriott Hotel. This program was the first phase of a multiple-phase program to develop, install, and monitor a system at the selected field site. The three phase program is comprised of: the Phase 1 engineering study; a Phase 2 control system development; and a Phase 3 field test evaluation. The investigation resulted in the following key conclusions: linear programming is a good tool for optimizing the scheduling of thermal storage charge and discharge; thermal storage can be optimized in a generic fashion that will apply to approximately 90% of the thermal storage systems built today; thermal storage inventory sensing is a critical enabling technology. The report recommends that the technology be implemented through development and installation at the San Francisco Marriott. This proposed development will not only increase the advantages of real-time pricing but also will serve as a first step toward system-wide optimization in commercial building controls.« less
  • This report documents the results of a program to develop and demonstrate automated control strategies for commercial building ventilation systems in response to real-time pricing (RTP) of electricity. The potential for electric load shedding/shifting of building ventilation systems in response to real-time pricing can be significant. This strategy provides a cost reduction opportunity for commercial building customers as well as a load reduction opportunity for their electric utilities. This project delivered an integrated sensor/control system for RTP that has the capability to make building ventilation systems more energy efficient while maintaining prescribed levels of indoor air quality. Under this utility-more » and government-sponsored research and development program, Honeywell has implemented new strategies to provide demand-controlled operation of outdoor air ventilation equipment. These strategies are designed for application to typical commercial building air handling systems in response to real-time pricing of electricity. Honeywell has integrated RTP control strategies with a prototype sensor system that measures indoor air carbon dioxide (CO{sub 2}) and volatile organic compound (VOC) levels to ensure that prescribed levels of indoor air quality are maintained in the occupied spaces. Under this program, Honeywell has added this demand-controlled ventilation capability to the existing Automated RTP Load Control technology to enable shedding and/or shifting of the electric load from ventilation equipment. This RTP control strategy involves reducing ventilation levels (typical durations might be from 1 to 3 hours) during high RTP periods.« less
  • Under Real Time Pricing (RTP) rates, Electric Thermal Storage (ETS) can be used to shift electricity consumption away from higher price periods to lower price periods. Conceptually, this is similar to the function of ETS under time of use (TOU) rates. However, under RTP, because of variability of prices and absence of demand charges, ETS charging can occur at any hour of the day and energy can be stored across several days. This paper addresses the issue of storage sizing under RTP rates by presenting the results of a simulation study. Parameters of the simulation, as well as building loadsmore » and prices used as inputs, are based on the results of an actual experiment on the RTP based control of ETS carried out in the winter season of 1989--1990. Results indicate that under RTP based control, increase in storage sizes lowers utilities' cost of service, in contrast to TOU based control where utility's cost of service remains relatively unchanged.« less
  • Real Time Pricing (RTP) provides utilities and their customers with a means to enhance the value of both existing and new electric service programs. This paper reports on a first full scale experiment on the RTP based control of thermal storage, which was implemented during the winter of 1989-90 under funding from EPRI and New York utilities and energy agencies. Three customers with electric thermal storage (ETS) systems were placed on an experimental RTP rate for their heating load only. A complete automated RTP based control system was designed and retrofit in place of the existing time of use (TOU)more » based control system. This paper describes the design, development, and implementation of the experimental RTP rate, customer response algorithms, and the energy management system (EMS) for RTP control of two of the sites with water based storage systems. Costs to the utility of provision of service went down by about 10 percent beyond savings achieved under the TOU based control system over a system with no storage.« less