Smart community based solution for energy management : an experimental setup for encouraging residential and commercial consumers participation in demand response program

Abstract

Smart grid technology development progression has created a possibility for the end users’ participation in the electricity market possible. Recently, the Singapore government has changed the rule for participation in the wholesale market. The Smart Community project, developed by NTU, DNV GL and Green Koncepts, will look into critical factors that will help retail consumers to participate in the demand responses (DR) program and time of use (TOU) pricing. This study reviews benefits for current retail consumer, the impact of DR and TOU on real-time energy consumption of the users, the impact of user experience-focus application toward smart grid participation program on participation reliability and contribution in power reduction during curtailment period. The DR program allows the users to become an active participant in the energy market. It also allows the government to plan better on the limited and costly energy resources, improve system reliability, and reduce transmission and distribution congestion, check and balance on the market power generation. A mobile-based user-experience focus on convenience application is to be developed for consumers to actively participate in the demand-side management programme, which make Singapore Wholesale Energy Market more resilient and reducing market power by introducing competition.