Evaluating the role of building thermal inertia for the provision of decentralised demand-side primary electrical frequency regulation services

In this paper, a prototype proactive decentralised demand-side electrical frequency regulation tool is proposed and evaluated. Most governments aim to meet ambitious CO2 reduction targets by applying financial instruments and other polices to encourage Distributed Renewable Energy Generation (DREG). Increasing energy demand, combined with the variability and unpredictability of the intermittent supply from many forms of DREG is causing some operational challenges and reliability concerns while balancing electrical power frequency demands on energy networks. In general, demand side participation in frequency control has been reactive exploiting the strong correlation between thermostatically controlled loads and consumption of electricity. The research presented offers a proactive approach to demand side participation employing heat transfer dynamics, which exhibit significantly larger inertia than electrical power dynamics. Therefore, short-term interruptions or fluctuations in demanded electrical energy will have fewer noticeable effects on temperature regulation and user comfort within buildings than traditional approaches to demand side participation in frequency control. The design and testing of a prototype combined frequency sensor and control unit is discussed. The testing of the prototype involves simulations employing heat pumps for thermal control purposes within a single-area power network. The findings show that the prototype combined frequency sensor and control unit provides highly accurate electrical frequency measurements while offering a flexible HVAC interface at very low cost.