Says techniques will provide measures to reduce energy consumption and lead to manageable demand

Saying that electrical energy cannot be stored cheaply or in great quantities, and therefore, supply and demand have to be balanced simultaneously, the Regulation and Supervision Bureau (the Bureau) has announced undertaking a pilot project through its Powerwise Office, called Demand Side Management Technique (DSM).

According to the Bureau, the main purpose of this initiative is to test the technology of remotely controlling air conditioning chillers of high-rise buildings and office towers in the in the local environment of Abu Dhabi, where the air conditioning load is about 65% of the total electricity summer demand, and to record the resulting reduction in summer peak demand. Based on the outcomes, different schemes could be proposed to introduce this technology to manage raising electricity demand in the summer, the Bureau added.

Explaining the rationale behind the project in a nutshell, the Bureau said that DSM techniques provide a variety of measures to reduce energy consumption, which leads to more manageable demand.

Stressing that DSM incorporates all activities that influence customer use of electricity and results in the reduction of the electricity demand, which are mutually beneficial to the customers and the utility, the Bureau claimed that any DSM technique implemented may result in one of the following forms of demand reduction:

• Peak shaving: refers to the reduction of utility loads during peak demand periods. This can delay the need for additional generation capacity. The net effect is a reduction in both peak demand and total energy consumption. It can be achieved by direct control of air conditioning and customers’ appliances.
• Conservation: refers to reduction in consumption by customers when there is a net reduction in both demand and total energy consumption. Strategic conservation can be implemented by motivating customers to use more energy-efficient appliances, for example.
• Load shifting: involves shifting loads from on-peak to off-peak periods. The net effect is a decrease in peak demand, but not a change in total energy consumption.

The Bureau revealed that the pilot project aimed at answering the following questions:

• Are the DSM incentives sufficient to change consumer behaviour in Abu Dhabi?
• How do participants respond to the various DSM initiatives and the technology involved?
• What is the participants’ acceptable comfort level for controlling air conditioning remotely on extremely hot and humid days?
• What is the cost of the different DSM programmes, incentives and enabling technology?

According to the Bureau, the pilot project will achieve the following benefits:

• Improving overall energy efficiency
• Improving reliability and quality of power supply
• Improving efficiency in transmission and distribution networks infrastructure investments and operations
• Reducing the risk of power shortages
• Saving capital investment to build new power plants
• Delivering energy to consumers more economically

The Bureau said that based on the results of such pilot studies, it would estimate the overall participation levels, programmes, as well as the business case around investing in DSM.