Droop Based Dynamic Demand Response Controller for HVAC Load

Abstract

Before the advent of real time electricity price, electricity customers did not get any incentives to conserve electricity during the grid stressed condition, because the electricity price was fixed per kilowatt hour. But with the beginning of real time electricity pricing, research shows that the consumer consumes less electricity during peak pricing periods. Demand response (DR) plays a key role in reducing the peak load. Real time electricity pricing is a form of non-dispatchable DR program. In this paper, the authors have developed a droop-based controller for the heating ventilating and air conditioning (HVAC) system to respond to real-time prices for peak load reduction without compromising the comfort of the occupants. The paper is divided into two sections, the first section uses a price prediction model to predict the real time price for the next day. The maximum value of the predicted price is used by the controller developed in the second part of the paper, to control the power consumption of the HVAC loads by changing the set point temperature of the HVAC system. A detailed house model with HVAC system is developed using EnergyPlus. The developed controller is implemented in MATLAB/SIMULINK and connected to the EnergyPlus model via building controls virtual test bed (BCVTB).