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Construction of a Demand Side Plant with Thermal Energy Storage
Abstract
Utility managements have two primary responsibilities.
They must supply reliable
electric service to meet the needs of their
customers at the most efficient price possible
while at the same time generating the maximum
rate of return possible for their shareholders.
Regulator hostility towards the addition of
generating capacity has made it difficult for
utilities to simultaneously satisfy both the
needs of their ratepayers and the needs of
their shareholders. Recent advances in thermal
energy storage may solve the utilities' paradox.
Residential thermal energy storage promises
to provide the ratepayers significantly
lower electricity rates and greater comfort
levels. Utilities benefit from improved load
factors, peak capacity additions at low cost,
improved shareholder value (ie. a better return
on assets), improved reliability, and a means
of satisfying growing demand without the regulatory
and litigious nightmares associated with
current supply side solutions. This paper discusses
thermal energy storage and its potential
impact on the electric utilities and introduces
the demand side plant concept.
Citation
Michel, M. (1989). Construction of a Demand Side Plant with Thermal Energy Storage. Energy Systems Laboratory (http://esl.tamu.edu); Texas A&M University (http://www.tamu.edu). Available electronically from https : / /hdl .handle .net /1969 .1 /6573.