Time programmable smart devices for peak demand reduction of smart homes in a microgrid

Increasing electricity access through Microgrids for rural areas is often faced with the challenge of increased peak demand through increased electricity demand as more electronic devices will be acquired by the consumers and more small businesses will spring up in the community. If not taken care of, this leads to additional cost of incurring higher peaker plants to meet the peak demand, and the burden of the cost of peaker plants are consequentially transferred to the consumers. Since this load is generated by the consumers, it is most desirable to control the peak demand from the consumers' side. Therefore, a method of Time Programmable Smart Devices (TPSD) with an efficient Electricity Use Plan (EUP) is proposed in this paper by introducing appliance working knowledge and improving load shifting technique of Demand Side Management for peak demand reduction in a rural Microgrid. This method yielded lower morning and evening peaks, a lower peak-to-peak difference than those available in literature, and a peak period shift from the traditional peak period to traditional off-peak period. These lead to financial savings, reduced cost of peaker plants and a safer environment from less greenhouse gases emissions.