DSM techniques for controlling peak demand

Demand side management techniques for controlling peak demand aim to reduce or move the load that occurs at the system peak (evening hours in Nepal).

 Load  peak clipping  load shifting  valley filling
  |      ___            ___ -->         ___
  |     /cut\          /   \  later    /   \  +fill
  |____/     \___   __/     \___    __/     \__/
  +--------------- time

1. Peak clipping: direct reduction of load at peak by the utility, e.g. remote switching off of water heaters, pumps or air conditioners (direct load control), or interruptible supply for large consumers.
2. Load shifting: moving flexible loads from peak to off-peak hours, e.g. industries running arc furnaces, crushers or pumps at night; water pumping and EV charging at night.
3. Valley filling: encouraging new loads in off-peak periods so that the load curve is flatter and peak share falls.
4. Time-of-day (ToD) and critical-peak pricing: higher rates at peak make consumers reduce peak use voluntarily.
5. Demand response programmes: consumers reduce load on utility signal in return for incentives.
6. Energy storage: batteries or thermal storage charge off-peak and supply at peak.
7. Energy-efficient appliances: LED lighting and efficient motors reduce evening peak, which in Nepal is mostly lighting and cooking.
8. Maximum demand control: demand controllers or load limiters at the consumer end trip non-essential loads when demand approaches a set limit.