An application of expert system for demand side management

Electric supply is essential for any economic growth. The electric demand growth requires the increase of the installed capacity to meet the consumption. Another alternative is the better use of installed capacity. Demand Side Management (DSM) has been increasingly adopted by utilities as a substitute for huge investments and as a method for optimization of resources use. DSM is the planning, implementation and evaluation of utility activities that are designed to encourage consumers to modify their electricity consumption patterns with respect to both the level demand and energy. The presented work introduces a demand side management system using the expert system technique. The system is not case oriented. It is composed of a main module which, based upon set of rules, selects one of many possible solutions to perform DSM. The system has been tested using data from different industrial, residential and commercial applications. It uses practical experience gained during implementation of energy conservation systems. The system also offers user flexibility together with performance expectation. It allows the addition of extra rules upon user needs. The system performs DSM according to one of the following strategies {[}1-3]: 1- Peak clipping. 2- Energy conservation: a) Building automation b) Efficiency equipment. 3- Valley filling. 4- Load shifting. 5- Load building. 6- Flexible load shape.