Implementing Demand-Side Energy Solutions

The supply-side solutions we need in order to be delivering on our climate targets will take time to implement, especially at the scale and commercial level needed. So in the short term we need to have a good hard look at delivering those emissions reductions from the demand-side. The energy transition should not just be about changing energy supply and how we produce it, but more importantly it's about how and when we use it, and that's what this video explores. 

There are 2 elements of energy use:

Unless a person is already fully reliant on renewable sources of energy, most people will already have a keen eye for how much electricity they use. This includes appliances such as thermostats, air conditioners etc as the season requires. Simple efficiency measures include switching lights off and insulating property. If a fridge is more than 10 years old it’s probably really inefficient and we need to replace these with a newer top energy efficiency rating. However, with other appliances like old washing machines, vacuum cleaners or hairdryers – it's best not to purchase new ones as much of the environmental impact is in the manufacturing stage. 

Typically this is done through an energy audit, here are some steps that this process involves:

The International Energy Agency (IEA) did modelling a few years ago that concluded that if the world was to implement all of the cost effective energy efficiency measures that use existing technology, we’d reduce annual energy-related emissions by 3.5GT CO2e. Energy efficiencies could deliver 40% of what we need to deliver the goals of the Paris Agreement and limit global climate change. 

Over the course of a day, there are times of peak generation and peak demand that don’t necessarily happen at the same time. Managing the periods when they’re out of sync is tricky. It wasn’t always possible to do much about this. But now a few things have changed so that we are now in a position to look at energy in a more sophisticated, nuanced way:

These changes means that electricity grid operators can use the DSM mechanism called (choosing when to use power). 

The concept of demand-side management involves electricity from areas that don’t really need it and distributing it to those that do. During the time of peak demand (6AM– 8AM or 7PM– 9PM), grid operators can offer consumers a financial benefit to avoid or reduce their use. In return for reducing use, the consumer could be offered a cheaper tariff for that period, or they could receive a payment for NOT using electricity during those periods of peak demand. 

DSM is the tool to smooth the peaks in the demand profile: it’s known as peak shaving and is vital to running a flexible grid. It gives you a more stable, reliable grid and it might also reduce the points of very high demand, and in doing so avoid having to build a new base load power station. 

This ability to be flexible on demand timing shows that electricity consumption could be shifted to when more renewable energy is available, which in turn could reduce reliance on high-emitting fossil-fuel power plants and thus reduce emissions from the energy sector overall.