Energy storage: A component of energy conservation

摘要

Energy policy and efficiency standards such as ASHRAE 90.1: Energy Standard for Buildings Except Low-Rise Residential Buildings define requirements for buildings that save energy. However, a fundamental shift is happening in energy production that makes it critical that standards address more than energy reduction in buildings. Standards must also address the timing of when that energy is used because not all energy is created equally. Energy producers must match production to the demand in real time. This forces producers into situations of high production cost at times of peak demand. If possible, energy producers want to load their lowest-cost energy production plants first. Then they ramp up higher cost plants as demand increases. Energy production cost is driven by both cost of fuel available to a plant and the efficiency of the plant. At peak, utilities must operate the highest-cost plants.