Any nation’s energy requirement increases according to its growth, development, and evolving consumer needs. Apart from mulling over power production issues, governments, utility providers, and consumers must also ask how energy can be better distributed and consumed, especially during peak hours.
This is why demand-side management (DSM) is as relevant as ever.
What Is Demand Side Management Energy?
Otherwise known as energy demand management and demand side response, DSM refers to the strategies and programs that manage the electricity consumption patterns of end users to support the power grid and its capacity to produce electricity.
With the advent of decentralized grids and the increasing use of electric vehicles (EVs), DSM has become more important than ever. Its long list of stakeholders includes homes, EV fleet owners, and EV charging stations. This is in addition to consumers, businesses, communities, and regulators.
How Does Demand Side Management Benefit Energy Companies?
The goal of DSM is to reduce the overall demand for energy from utilities and energy companies during periods of peak usage. Achieving this goal helps improve the efficiency and reliability of the power grid, lowers energy costs, and reduces greenhouse gas emissions.
Charging management software like Ampcontrol offers an easy way to manage and balance the demands on the power grid so that the overall demand is reliably met and remains sustainable.
Demand Side Management vs. Demand Response
While DR refers to reducing electricity consumption during times of high demand or when the grid is operating at capacity, DSM encompasses a range of strategies that are meant to manage electricity consumption over the long term.
DR entails shifting some of our power consumption to off-peak hours or temporarily reducing usage. DSR, on the other hand, includes programs designed to promote energy efficiency, such as incentives for consumers to upgrade to more efficient appliances as well as programs that promote the use of renewable energy sources.
Implementing charging management systems can be a convenient and seamless way to meet the goals of demand side management and demand response. They can be used to optimize the charging activities of EV fleets, provide operational transparency, ensure that the local power grid isn’t overloaded, and more.
DSM Categories
DSM can be implemented at various levels, from a single household to an entire community or utility level. Depending on the scale in which DSM is implemented, it can be categorized as follows:
National Scale
DSM at a national scale entails legislation and standards in housing, buildings, electric appliances, transport, machinery, and more. It even involves state-wide Distributed Energy Resource Programs (DERP) such as the California Solar Initiative and self-generation incentive programs where consumers and communities are incentivized for using solar energy.
Utility Scale
This is when utilities chime in during peak demand to directly control things like storage water heaters, pool pumps, and air conditioners in large areas. It can also involve the implementation of time-of-use pricing, which charges customers higher rates during peak hours to encourage them to reduce their electricity use.
Ampcontrol’s solutions can help utility companies ensure grid reliability and resilience by charging vehicles based on time-of-use rates and the improved visualization of consumption. It also offers utility companies the opportunity to shift to renewable sources of power when alternative methods like solar and wind energy have greater capacities.
Community Scale
Think neighborhoods, districts, and the like. DSM can be implemented on this scale by, say, reducing peak demand for heating or cooling, or through the design of buildings and communities that require net zero energy. Another way to achieve this is by using solar and smart metering to measure and control electricity usage. DR programs that encourage residents to reduce their consumption during peak periods are another example.
Household Scale
Household scale refers to measures implemented in a single household. Take, for instance, the installation of energy-efficient appliances such as LED bulbs and the adoption of solar energy and energy-saving habits. From simple measures like adjusting the water heater to stocking freezers adequately, unplugging chargers to using energy-efficient appliances, the opportunities for DSM at this scale are plenty.
Benefits of Demand Side Management
The benefits of DSM are multifaceted. Let’s unpack them according to the different DSM scales.
Households
DSM programs can help households reduce their electricity bills by managing their energy consumption during peak hours. In addition, it incentivizes homeowners for using energy-efficient appliances, switching to renewable energy sources, and practicing energy conservation.
Communities
DSM enables communities to reduce their overall electricity consumption which can lead to lower demands on the power grid, and ultimately reduce the risk of blackouts and brownouts.
Utilities
DSM programs can help utilities balance the demand and supply of electricity by reducing the peak demand and increasing off-peak demand. This can lead to better grid stability and reliability while reducing the need for costly infrastructure investments. Additionally, DSM programs can help communities meet regulatory requirements surrounding energy efficiency and carbon emissions reduction.
National/State Level
DSM can help governments achieve national and state-level energy policy objectives. It can also help create a more resilient and flexible energy system that can better withstand shocks and disruptions.
Environment
DSM programs like Ampcontrol’s solutions can help reduce the environmental impact of electricity generation by promoting energy efficiency, reducing the need for new power plants, and increasing the use of renewable energy sources. This can help reduce greenhouse gas emissions and mitigate climate change.
Ampcontrol’s technology can be beneficial for various stakeholders, including fleet operators, vehicle manufacturers, charging point operators, utility companies, and solution companies. Since it promotes energy-efficiency, greater visibility over charging operations, and fleet management, it is relevant for a wide range of industries from transportation and logistics, public transportation, ridesharing and taxi services as well as the food and beverage market.
Relevance of DSM in Relation to the Growing Number of Electric Vehicles
At its core, DSM is about ensuring that energy is conserved and used efficiently while reducing waste, especially during peak hours.
As the number of electric vehicles grows, DSM has only become more essential. EV charging can become one of the biggest consumers of electricity, surpassing the demands of refrigerators and air conditioning. The adoption of EVs demands that we seriously consider how to manage our electricity consumption while preventing the power grid from becoming overloaded, especially during peak hours.
How is this possible?
Embracing solar energy, energy storage solutions, time-of-use pricing, and other DRs can help. But we mustn’t overlook the fact that optimizing EV charging and implementing DSM-centric EV fleet management yields consistent and measurable DSM results.
Ampcontrol enables the latter by offering an EV demand-side management system.
The DSM Advantage That Ampcontrol Delivers
Ampcontrol has developed cutting-edge cloud-based EV charging and energy management software that ensures efficient and grid-friendly EV fleet management. The software optimizes charging sessions and avoids peak energy demand periods while ensuring the timely departure of fleet vehicles. This translates to reduced electricity costs, improved grid stability, and efficient energy management — all of which are DSM objectives.
The solution enables real-time charger monitoring, which is facilitated by OCPP charger communication. It thereby helps utilities with dynamic load management, ensuring the grid is not overwhelmed by sudden and high demands from charging electric vehicles. The software also provides analytics and reports, allowing players like fleet operators, charging point operators, and vehicle manufacturers to monitor and analyze energy usage and identify areas for improvement.
In addition to being inclusive of solar systems, the software also provides relevant EV charging and fleet management alerts and notifications.
With Ampcontrol’s EV demand management solutions, businesses using EVs can not only manage their energy consumption more efficiently but also reduce their operating costs while promoting the use of clean energy. This helps mitigate the impact of EV charging on the grid. Learn more about Ampcontrol’s features by visiting the Ampcontrol website or requesting a demo.
