Shifting air-conditioner load in residential buildings: Benefits for low-carbon integrated power grids

Abstract

This study presents a simulation of low-carbon electricity supply for Australia, contributing new knowledge by demonstrating the benefits of load shifting in residential buildings for downsizing renewable electricity grids comprising wind, hydro, biomass, and solar resources. The load-shifting potential for the whole of Australia is estimated, based on air-conditioner load data and an insulation model for residential buildings. Load shifting is applied to enable transferring residential airconditioner load from peak to off-peak periods, assuming that air-conditioners can be turned-on a few hours ahead of need, during periods where demand is low and renewable resource availability is high, and turned-off during periods of high demand and low resource availability. Thus, load shifting can effectively reduce installed capacity requirements in renewable electricity grids. For 1 h load shifting of residential air-conditioners, Australian electricity demand can be met at the current reliability standards by 130 GW installed capacity, at cost around 12.5 ¢/kWh, and a capacity factor of 32%. The installed capacity can be further reduced by increasing the number of hours that loads can be shifted. The findings suggest that the application of load shifting in residential buildings can play a significant role for power networks with high renewable energy penetration.