Smart Consumer Load Participation

Charles Parsons Studentships

Smart Consumer Load Participation

Project Supervisor: Dr. D J Morrow

Project Description:

This Charles Parsons PhD studentship offers the opportunity to be part of a major research initiative running at 6 universities across the island of Ireland. The Smart Grid theme of the Charles Parsons Energy Research Awards is a new addition to the established programme already in progress at Queen's University Belfast. The term 'Smart Grid' concerns the introduction of communication and computing technology to all parts of the power system, and will enable direct communication by the power utility with each individual consumer.

Smart Grid technology in the home has many possible applications. This PhD is concerned with Smart Consumer Load Participation, which has the potential to make the power system more carbon and economically efficient by shifting the electrical demand profile towards periods when there is plentiful renewable in-feed. There are many domestic loads suitable for participation in such a scheme, either controlled manually by the consumer or autonomously. These include space and water heating, air-conditioning, refrigeration, clothes and dish washing, and in the future, electric vehicles. This PhD also involves quantifying the potential benefits and determining the most effective load participation methodology and tariff mechanism. There is potential to work with local utility operators.

Objectives:

Assess the communication requirements for a Smart Grid that can support wide-scale use of smart consumer load participation and indeed other applications where information exchange needed with each individual household.
Identify electric loads (type and amount) that are candidates for load participation, including future scenarios that may include electric vehicles.
Explore how best to interact with the consumer for load participation using, for example, pricing strategies. Achieve the optimum balance between consumer initiated and automatic participation.
Show how load participation and renewable generation predictions can be integrated into unit commitment software so that the system operator can run the power system more efficiently.
Quantify by how much the load demand can be modified through consumer participation, using different scenarios.

Academic Requirements:

A minimum of a 2.1 honours degree or equivalent in Electrical and Electronic Engineering or relevant degree is required.

GENERAL INFORMATION

The studentship provides fees and a maintenance grant of £13,590 for 2011/12 and eligible UK and EU citizens may apply.

Applicants should apply electronically through the Queen's online application portal at https://dap.qub.ac.uk/portal/

Further information available at:
http://www.qub.ac.uk/schools/eeecs/Scholarships/PostgraduateResearchScholarships

Contact details:

Supervisor:	Dr. D J Morrow	Tel: 028 9097 4060
		Email:
		Web: http://www.qub.ac.uk/research-centres/EPES/
QUB Address:	Ashby Building Queen's University Belfast