The role of demand-side management in the grid integration of wind power

In a scenario of large scale penetration of renewable production from wind and other intermittent resources, it is fundamental that the electric system has appropriate means to compensate the effects of the variability and randomness of the wind power availability. This concern was traditionally addressed by the promotion of wind resource studies and acting in the supply side of energy and using energy storage technologies. However, in electric system planning, other options deserve to be evaluated, namely the options related with the energy demand. The most severe problems due to the wind power intermittence happen during the peak load hours. Thus, instead of trying to replace the lost capacity due to the intermittence, other option is to act in the energy demand side, with the aim of reducing the consumption in such hours. The demand-side management technologies are an option that must be considered to reduce and manage the wind power intermittence. The present paper analyzes the possible impact of demand-side management and demand response, with the aim of enabling the integration of the growing intermittent resources in Portugal.