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Smart air con could stabilize power grid

Power grids could be stabilized by smart control of large air conditioning installations, without building occupants noticing, according to the US Oak Ridge National Laboratory.
ORNL-HVAC-grid-regulation
The lab has devised a method to control the heating and cooling systems of a large network of buildings for power grid stability, “which could allow utilities to harness the demand from a city’s worth of buildings to help balance the power grid”, said the Lab.
“We developed control schemes that don’t require a large number of calculations and can be implemented easily on existing HVAC systems that have simple on-off controls,” said ORNL’s Mohammed Olama.
Simulations predict that its technique can providing frequency regulation (a measure of current grid load) for a group of 50 buildings, while keeping indoor temperatures within 0.5°C of a set range.
Two control strategies were investigated:
  • An optimal one based on ‘model predictive control’ for continuously variable HVAC system – as used in many commercial buildings
  • To control an aggregate of on/off HVAC systems – the type used in homes and small commercial buildings – rule-based system coordination

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