Evaluation and Assessment of New Demand Response Products Based on the Use of Flexibility in Industrial Processes: Application to the Food Industry.

摘要

In the context of an increasingly competitive electricity market, where prices are constantly rising and the presence of renewable energy resources is gaining prominence, this dissertation deals with an innovative approach to the participation of demand resources in operation markets, paying special attention to energy intensive industrial segments such as the food industry.;The study begins by examining the current status of Demand Response Programs available in different countries. This analysis suggests that customers have been somewhat neglected in the design phase of existing DR programs, and this has resulted in the underutilization and sub-optimal development of demand resources. Furthermore, customers are unaware of the utility that their potential flexibility could be to the electricity grid and do not know how much different actors would be willing to pay them for reducing demand in specific periods.;As a result of this analysis, an innovative methodology is developed to explore and assess new demand response mechanisms in which customers, grid operators and other stakeholder perspectives are considered. This methodology, based on the evaluation and detailed analysis of customer processes, provides customers with suitable tools to evaluate their ability to react to electricity prices. Consequently, the regulator is able to enhance the social benefit, allowing customer flexibility in operation markets and helping to refine the required programs to adequately capitalize on the potential identified by the customer.;The methodology developed in this dissertation was successfully applied to the meat industry market segment, and different factories within this segment were studied in detail. In particular, the effectiveness of the proposed actions was successfully tested and validated in an active factory that produces cured ham in Spain, and different flexibility strategies were evaluated.;Finally, an economic evaluation on the profitability of the proposed flexibility actions for both the customer and the power system is discussed. Current prices of operation markets in Spain are considered, even if customers are not actually allowed to participate in such markets at the moment.;The research presented in this dissertation is based on joint work in collaboration with medium and large commercial and industrial customers as well as utilities and grid operators both in Europe and the U.S. The objective of this investigation is to foster the convergence of private interests through the development of enhanced Demand Response design which is better adapted to market participants.