Carbon tax, increased reactive power charges, tariff increases and the Energy Conservation Scheme (ECS) are some of the worrying electricity cost risks faced by large South African industries. Some of these proposed cost risks are not enforced as yet, but once approved could threaten company financial viability and thousands of jobs. Managing multiple cost risks associated with electricity consumption at several mines can be laborious and complex. This is largely due to circumstantial rules related to each potential electricity cost risk and unique mine characteristic. To limit the electricity cost risks for a mining company, clear strategies and focus areas need to be identified. No literature was found that provides a simplified integrated electricity cost risk and mitigation strategy for the South African gold mining industry. Previous studies only focused on a single mine or mining subsystem. Literature pertaining to potential risks is available, however the exact impact and mitigation on the gold mining industry has yet to be determined. The aim of this study is to accurately predict the impact of electricity cost risks and identify strategies that could alleviate their cost implications. Electricity consumption and installed capacities were used to benchmark mines and categorise them according to investigated risks. The benchmarked results provided an accurate starting point to identify best practices and develop electricity cost saving strategies. This study will highlight the additional benefits that can be obtained by managing electricity usage for a group of mines or mining company. Newly developed models are used to quantify savings on pumping, compressed air and cooling systems. To manage and report on the potential risks and mitigation, an ISO 50001 based energy management system was developed and implemented. The applied and developed models can also be adjusted to review and manage the potential cost risks on other types of mines. Derived risk and mitigation models were further used to quantify the impact on one of the largest gold mining companies in South Africa. These models indicate a potential annual price increase of 12%, while mitigation strategies could reduce the electricity consumption by more than 7%. Mitigation savings resulted from proposed projects as well as behavioural change-induced savings due to improved management. Over a five-year period the projects identified could result in electricity costs savings of between R675-million and R819-million. / PhD (Electrical Engineering), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014

A common electricity market in Europe will in all probability lead to a levelling out of the electricity price, which implies that Swedish consumers will face higher electricity prices with a European structure. This new market situation will force industry and energy suppliers to take new essential measures as actors in a deregulated European electricity market. In this thesis it is shown how over 30 Swedish small and medium-sized industries can reduce their use of electricity by about 50%. When scaling up the result to include all Swedish industry, the measures will lead to a significant reduction in global CO2 emissions, and a situation where Sweden will have a net export of electricity. Changing industrial energy use towards increased use of district heating will consequently affect the local energy suppliers. As a local energy supplier invests in CHP and co-operates on heat with an industry that has altered its energy use, the system cost will be halved. Considering higher European electricity prices, the benefits will be even higher with possibilities to reduce global emission with over 350%. In Sweden where district heating is very well established, heat driven absorption technology is especially favourable since it will lead to cost effective electricity production and increased utilization time for a CHP plant. Vapour compression chillers have been compared with heat driven absorption cooling for a local energy utility with a district cooling network and for industries in a Swedish municipality with CHP. The results show that the higher the share of absorption technology is, in comparison to compression chillers, the lower the production cost will be for producing cooling. This thesis illustrates measures for Swedish industry and energy suppliers in a fully deregulated European electricity market that will shift the energy systems in the direction of cost-effectiveness and resource effectiveness. The thesis also shows that the benefits of the measures will increase even more when accounting with electricity prices with a higher European structures. To methodically change the use of electricity would be an economical way to increase the competitiveness of Swedish plant in relation to other European plants. Taking advantage of these particularly Swedish conditions will contribute to the creation of lean resource systems, and as a result help the whole EU region to meet its commitment under the Kyoto Protocol. Altering industrial energy use towards less electricity and energy dependence will be a competitive alternative to new electricity production and help secure energy supply in the European Union.

The electricity system is particularly susceptible to climate change due to the close interconnectedness between not only electricity production and consumption to climate, but also the interdependence of many European countries in terms of electricity imports and exports. This study provides a country based relative analysis of a number of selected European countries’ electricity system vulnerability to climate change. Taking into account a number of quantitative influencing factors, the vulnerability of each country is examined both for the current system and using some projected data. Ultimately the result of the analysis is a relative ranked vulnerability index based on a number of qualitative indicators. Overall, countries that either cannot currently meet their own electricity consumption demand with inland production (Luxembourg), or countries that experience and will experience the warmest national mean temperatures, and are expected to see increases in their summer electricity consumption are found to be the most vulnerable for example Greece and Italy. Countries such as the Czech Republic, France and Norway that consistently export surplus electricity and will experience decreases in winter electricity consumption peaks were found to be the least vulnerable to climate change. The inclusion of some qualitative factors however may subject their future vulnerability to increase. The findings of this study enable countries to identify the main factors that increase their electricity system vulnerability and proceed with adaptation measures that are the most eective in decreasing vulnerability.

Many analysts have attempted to develop a systematic approach towards understanding the public policy framework in Thailand, and the impact of policies on Thai society and the environment. However, approaches so far have been limited in scope, and little has been done to investigate Thailand's electricity development policy approach, and its impact on society and natural resources in Thailand. This thesis contributes to filling this knowledge gap through undertaking an analysis of the development of Thailand's electricity industry power generation policy, its institutions and the policy process. It also examines the policy actors working within the process, and their roles, power and influence, factors that have shaped the distinctive characteristics of the electricity industry in Thailand today, an industry that is being confronted by increased opposition to its development from a range of community groups concerned with adverse environmental and social impacts on it. My research here uses Historical Institutionalism and Policy Network Analysis to guide the investigation. A qualitative research methodology, including the examination of documentary evidence and the interviewing of 25 key informants, was used to improve our knowledge of the policy process, and to reveal the nature of the conflicts that have emerged within the Thai policy-making bureaucracy, a bureaucracy that controls the electricity industry, and between these policy actors, the elected and military governments, and other parts of the Thai community. My research found that the development of Thailand's electricity generation policy has been complex; influenced bysocio-economic and political factors, as well as by external factors such as conditionalities imposed by foreign governments and multinational lending agencies. These factors have constrained the political institutions and political elites who play a key role in setting the rules for the restructuring of the industry. As Thailand has developed to become more democratic, the emergence of new groups of policy-makers, such as elected-politicians and civil society, has brought about a change in electricity policy direction, and in the structure of the industry. The research identified four key groups of policy actors participating in the Thai electricity policy arena, including first the 'old energy aristocrats'; officials in Electricity Generation Authority of Thailand (EGAT) who established the industry. They were followed by the officials in Energy Policy and Planning Office (EPPO) who had a more commercial orientation and who challenged the earlier ideas, leading to proposals to privatize the industry. Civic Society Organisations (CSOs) emerged in the 1970s to challenge the large energy projects proposed by the Government, those supported by elected-politicians, particularly the politicians from Thai Rak Thai Party that tried to take control of the industry for their own ends. The TRT interventing in the industry after it came to power in the 1990s. Each of these policy participants developed their own discourses to influence policy-making and public opinion. To reveal the nature of the challenges faced in developing the electricity industry in Thailand, this thesis focuses on a number of case studies of large electricity development projects, including the Nam Choan and Pak Mun Dam Projects, the Prachub Kirikhan Power Plant Projects, and the Wiang Haeng Coal Mine Development Project. My studies reveal evidence of the significant negative impacts that these projects had and continue to have, on the communities and environment adjacent to them, and on Thai society more generally. These problems emerged due to the fact that the policy institutions were, and still are, dominated by technocrats and political elites, with limited public participation in either the policy decisions made, or the policy development process. My thesis concludes that conflicts in relation to the electricity industry policy process are likely to grow in future years, and so makes a number of suggestions as to how these issues might be addressed.

Electricity is the most preferred source of energy, because of its quality and convenience of usage. It is probably one of the most vital infrastructural inputs for economic development of a country. Indeed it is the fulcrum which can leverage the future pace of growth and development. These reasons have made the electric power industry one of the fastest growing sectors in most developing countries and particularly in India. Therefore it is not surprising to observe the economic growth of a country being related to the increase in electricity consumption. In India, the growth rate of demand for power is generally higher than that of Gross Domestic Product (GDP). However, to achieve this kind of growth in electricity supply, the capital investments required are very huge. Even though the electricity sector generally gels a major share in the budgetary allocations in India, this is inadequate to add the required quantum of new generation capacity to keep pace with the increase in demand for electricity. Additional constraints like capital scarcity in the public sector, lack of enthusiasm among the private and foreign investors, and strong opposition from the environmentalists have further contributed to this slow pace of new generating capacity addition. This has resulted in severely constrained systems in India. The main focus of the present research work is on the development of an integrated approach for electricity planning using a mathematical modeling framework in (he context of resource constrained systems. There are very few attempts in the literature to integrate short, medium and long term issues in electricity planning. This is understandable from the point of view of unconstrained electricity systems where this type of integration is unnecessary since such systems have a luxury of surplus capacity to meet the current demand and capacity additions are required only for meeting predicted future increase in demand. However, in the case of constrained electricity systems, which are characterized by shortages, this kind of integration is very essential. These systems have to manage with inadequate capacity in the present, plan capacity additions to bridge the existing gap and to meet future increase in demand, and always explore the possibility of adding capacity with short gestation period. The integrated approach is expected to achieve effective supply-demand matching on a continuous basis encompassing both the short term and long term horizons. To achieve this, we have considered three alternatives- existing supply, new supply and non-supply (rationing) of electricity. The electricity system of the state of Karnataka, which is severely constrained by both limited capital and energy resources, has been selected for this purpose. As a first step, the supply and demand situation has been studied in the context of resource constraints. In terms of supply, both existing and future additions are studied in detail with respect to the potential created, generation types, import potential, technical constraints, energy and power shortages, planned and proposed capacity additions by both public and private sectors, etc. The demand patterns have been studied by introducing a new concept of "Representative Load Curves (RLCs)". These RLCs are used to model the temporal and structural variations in demand for electricity. Also, appropriate non-supply options (rationing measures) for effective management of shortages are identified. Incorporating this information, an integrated mathematical model, which is expected to generate a target plan for a detailed generation scheduling exercises and a requirement plan for a regular generation expansion planning, has been developed. The other important alternative "Demand-Side-Management (DSM)", which could be considered as an effective option to achieve efficient supply-demand matching has not been included in the present research work. The major reason for not including the DSM alternatives is due to the difficulty in integrating these in the modelling approach adopted here. In the present approach we have used typical daily load curves (RLCs) to represent the demand for electricity. These are aggregate load curves and do not contain any sector-wise or end-use-wisc details. On the other hand, DSM alternatives are end-use focused. To incorporate DSM alternatives, we should have information on end-usc-wisc power demand (kW or MW), savings potential, time-of-use, etc. For this purpose it may be required to have end-use-wisc daily load curves. This information is not available and a separate detailed survey may be required to generate these load curves. This, we felt, is out of the scope of this present research work and a separate study may be required to do this. Therefore, we restricted our focus to supply planning alone. A detailed literature review is conducted to understand different types of modeling approaches to electricity planning. For the present study, however, the review of literature has been restricted to the methods of generation expansion planning and scheduling. In doing so, we attempted to bring out the differences in various approaches in terms of solution methods adopted, alternatives included and modifications suggested. Also, we briefly reviewed the literature on models for power and energy rationing, because management of shortages is an important aspect of the present study. Subsequently, a separate section is devoted to present an overview of the non-supply of electricity and its economic impacts on the consumers. We found that the low reliability of the electrical system is an indicator of the existence of severe shortages of power and energy, which cause non-supply of electricity to the consumers. The overview also presented a discussion on reasons for non-supply of electricity, and the types of non-supply options the utilities adopt to over come these shortages. We also attempted to explain what we mean by non-supply of electricity, what are its cost implications, and the methods available in the literature to estimate these costs. The first objective of the research pertains to the development of a new approach to model the varying demand for electricity. Using the concept of Representative Load Curves (RLCs) we model the hourly demand for a period of four years, 1993-94, 1994-95, 1995-96 and 1996-97, to understand the demand patterns of both unconstrained and constrained years. Multiple discriminant analysis has been used to cluster the 365 load curves into nine RLCs for each of the four years. The results show that these RLCs adequately model the variations in demand and bring out the distinctions in the demand patterns existed during the unconstrained and constrained years. The demand analysis using RLCs helped to study the differences in demand patterns with and without constraints, impacts of constraints on preferred pattern of electricity consumption, success of non-supply options in both reducing the demand levels and greatly disturbing the electricity usage patterns. Multifactor ANOVA analyses are performed to quantify the statistical significance of the ability of the logically obtained factors in explaining the overall variations in demand. The results of the ANOVA analysis clearly showed that the considered factors accounted for maximum variations in demand at very high significance levels. It also brought out the significant influence of rationing measures in explaining the variations in demand during the constrained years. Concerning the second objective, we explained in detail, the development of an integrated mixed integer-programming model, which we felt is appropriate for planning in the case of resource constrained electricity systems. Two types of integrations are attempted (i) existing supply, non-supply and new supply options for dynamically matching supply and demand, (ii) operational and strategic planning in terms of providing target plans for the former and requirement plans for the latter. Broadly, the approach addresses the effective management of existing capacity, optimal rationing plan to effectively manage shortages and rationally decide on the new capacity additions both to bridge the existing gap between supply and demand, and to meet the future increases in demand. There is also an attempt to arrive at an optimal mix of public and private capacity additions for a given situation. Finally, it has been attempted to verify the possibility of integration of captive generation capacity with the grid. Further, we discussed in detail about the data required for the model implementation. The model is validated through the development of a number of scenarios for the state of Karnataka. The base case scenario analyses are carried out for both the unconstrained and constrained years to compare the optimal allocations with actual allocations that were observed, and to find out how sensitive are the results for any change in the values of various parameters. For the constrained years, a few more scenarios are used to compare the optimal practice of managing shortages with to what has been actually followed by the utility. The optimal allocations of the predicted demand to various existing supply and non-supply options clearly showed that the actual practice, reflected by the actual RLCs, are highly ad hoc and sub-optimal. The unit cost comparisons among different scenarios show that the least cost choice of options by the utility does not necessarily lead to good choices from the consumers’ perspective. Further, a number of future scenarios are developed to verify the ability of the model to achieve the overall objective of supply-demand matching both in the short and long term. For this purpose both the short horizon annual scenarios (1997-98 to 2000-01) and long horizon terminal year scenarios (2005-06 and 2010-11) are developed assuming capacity additions from only public sector. Overall, the results indicated that with marginal contributions from non-supply options and if the public sector generates enough resources to add the required capacity, optimal matching of supply and demand could be achieved. The scenario analyses also showed that it is more economical to have some level of planned rationing compared to having a more reliable system. The quantum of new capacity additions required and the level of investments associated with it clearly indicated the urgent need of private sector participation in capacity additions. Finally, we made an attempt to verify the applicability of the integrated model to analyse the implications of private sector participation in capacity additions. First, a number of scenarios are developed to study the optimal allocations of predicted hourly demand to private capacity under different situations. Secondly, the impacts of privatisation on the public utility and consumers are analysed. Both short term and long term scenarios are developed for this purpose. The results showed the advantage of marginal non-supply of electricity both in terms of achieving overall effective supply-demand matching and economic benefits that could be generated through cost savings. The results also showed the negative impacts of high guarantees offered to the private sector in terms of the opportunity costs of reduced utilization of both the existing and new public capacity. The estimates of unit cost of supply and effective cost of supply facilitated the relative comparison among various scenarios as well as finding out the merits and demerits of guarantees to private sector and non-supply of electricity. The unit cost estimates are also found to be useful in studying the relative increase in electricity prices for consumers on account of privatization, guarantees and reliable supply of electricity. Using the results of scenario analyses, likely generation expansion plans till the year 2010-11 are generated. The analyses have been useful in providing insights into fixing the availability and plant load factors for the private sector capacity. Based on the analysis, the recommended range for plant utilization factor is 72.88 - 80.57%. The estimated generation losses and the associated economic impacts of backing down of existing and new public capacity on account of guarantees offered to private sector are found to be significantly high. The analyses also showed that the backing down might take place mainly during nights and low demand periods of monsoon and winter seasons. Other impacts of privatization that studied are in terms of increased number of alternatives for the utility to buy electricity for distribution and the associated increase in its cost of purchase. Regarding the consumers, the major impact could be in terms of significant increase in expected tariffs. The major contributions of this thesis are summarized as follows: i. An integrated approach to electricity planning that is reported here, is unique in the sense that it considers options available under various alternatives, namely, existing supply, non-supply and new supply. This approach is most suited for severely constrained systems having to manage with both energy and capital resource shortages. ii. The integration of operational and strategic planning with coherent target plans for the former and requirement plans for the latter bridges the prevailing gap in electricity planning approaches. iii. The concept of Representative Load Curves (RLCs), which is introduced here, captures the hourly, daily and seasonal variations in demand. Together, all the RLCs developed for a given year are expected to model the hourly demand patterns of that year. These RLCs are useful for planning in resource constrained electricity systems and in situations where it is required to know the time variations in demand (e.g. supply-demand matching, seasonal scheduling of hydro plants and maintenance scheduling). RLCs are also useful in identifying the factors influencing variations in demand. This approach will overcome the limitations of current method of representation in the form of static and aggregate annual load duration curves. iv. A new term, "non-supply of electricity" has been introduced in this thesis. A brief overview of non-supply presented here includes reasons for non-supply, type of non-supply, methods to estimate cost of non-supply and factors influencing these estimates. v. The integrated mixed integer programming model developed in the study has been demonstrated as a planning tool for- • Optimal hourly and seasonal scheduling of various existing supply, non-supply and new supply options • Estimation of supply shortages on a representative hourly basis using the information on resource constraints • Effectively planning non-supply of electricity through appropriate power/energy rationing methods • Estimation of the need for the new capacity additions both to bridge the existing gap and to take care of increase in future demand levels • Optimal filling of gaps between demand and supply on a representative hourly basis through new supply of electricity • Optimally arriving at the judicious mix of public and private capacity additions • Studying the impacts of private capacity on the existing and new public sector capacity, and on the consumers • Optimally verifying the feasibility of integrating the captive generation with the total system vi. The demand analysis using RLCs helped to bring out the differences in demand patterns with and without constraints, impacts of constraints on preferred pattern of electricity consumption, success of non-supply options in both reducing the demand levels and greatly disturbing the electricity usage patterns. Multifactor ANOVA analyses results showed that the logically obtained factors accounted for maximum variations in demand at very high significance levels. vii. A comparison of optimal (represented by optimal predicted RLCs) and actual (reflected by actual RLCs) practices facilitated by the model showed that the actual practice during constrained years is highly ad hoc and sub-optimal. viii. The results of the scenario analyses showed that it is more economical to have some amount of planned rationing compared to having a more reliable system, which does not allow non-supply of electricity. ix. The scenarios, which analysed the impacts of high guarantees offered to the private sector, showed the negative impacts of these in terms of reduced utilization of both the existing and new public capacity. x. Generation expansion plans till the year 2010-11 are developed using the results of various kinds of scenario analyses. Two groups of year-wise generation expansion plans are generated, one with only public sector capacity additions and the other with private sector participation. xi. The impacts of privatization of capacity additions are studied from the point of view of the utility and consumers in terms of expected increase in cost of purchase of electricity and tariffs. xii. The analyses are also made for developing some insights into fixing the availability and plant load factors for the private capacity. Based on the analysis, the recommended range for plant utilization factor is 72.88 - 80.57%. We believe that the integrated approach presented and the results obtained in this thesis would help utilities (both suppliers and distributors of electricity) and governments in making rational choices in the context of resource constrained systems. The results reported here may also be used towards rationalization of Government policies vis-a-vis tariff structures in the supply of electricity, planning new generation capacity additions and effective rationing of electricity. It is also hoped that the fresh approach adopted in this thesis would attract further investigations in future research on resource constrained systems.

Conserving energy and reducing electricity consumption have become critical issues. Measuring when different appliances use electricity can be an effective way to save money on electricity bills. By providing information about hourly electricity prices and peak consumption times, people can subconsciously adopt energy saving habits to reduce the electricity consumption in their households. The challenge, however, lies in ensuring that all household members are informed and made aware of the right times to use electricity. This study will research how nudging can be utilized to reduce electricity consumption in households and what information the people in the households need to be able to make informed decisions to reduce their electricity consumption.

Achieving sustainable consumption of energy is an important issue due to the increasing demand for energy and its environmental impact. One of the biggest consumers of the global energy production is the residential sector. Factors determining pattern of energy consumption in this sector are firstly, characteristics of the buildings and equipment and appliances which are used inside them and secondly, people who are using the buildings. The former could be approached by using efficiency strategies; i.e. designing and using materials and utilities which are low energy demanding or reducing consumption of energy. The latter could be reached by adoption of demand side management strategies which could improve pattern of energy consumption by the end users. Combining these strategies bring out energy-smart buildings with energy-smart people as the users. This project aims at introducing potential approaches to strategies of promoting sustainable behavior regarding energy consumption in individuals, with the focus on the students of Linköping University living in the properties of housing company of the city, Studentbostäder. For fulfilling this purpose, literature review has been done for finding influencing factors on and strategies for shaping of pro-environmental behavior. In the next step, two projects with focus on demand side management for changing energy consumption of individuals have been studied. Afterward, a questionnaire based on the results of the literature review was prepared and used to gain an understanding of first: attitude, values, knowledge, and awareness of students of Linköping University regarding environmental issues, and second: point of view of the students toward the strategies for shaping pro-environmental behavior. Results of the above mentioned methods were used for identifying characteristics of a demand side management project based on provision of feedback on energy consumption for the users. It has been proposed that designing and implementing such project has the potential of affecting pattern of energy consumption by people and lead to its reduction, especially among students accommodating at housing company of city of Linköping, Studentbostäder. More studies are needed for finding feasibility of implementing such project.

The aim of this thesis is to briefly introduce the reader to the problem of development of the electricity consumption, to show the possibilities of its prediction, and provide an example of electricity consumption analysis, which may serve as a basis for long-term forecast. The first part of this work is devoted to brief overview of the development of consumption of electrical energy in the Czech Republic and factors associated with that development. The main events of Czech electrification history are outlined, as well as factors influencing the magnitude of the demand for electricity in the recent times. There are described the possibilities of the influence of foreign exchange and price of the electricity, net losses, GDP, the consumption of gas, the number of inhabitants, or the structure of the economy. This work further describes the development of the consumption of electric energy abroad and comparison of the electricity consumption in the Czech Republic to its neighboring countries, in which there are apparently influence by variety of factors that affect the consumption development trend. For more complex overview, the electricity consumption of most of European states is being noted, and near the end of the chapter the development in poorest countries and in quickly growing economies is shown. The fourth chapter mentions methods for short and middle-term prediction of consumption of electricity. There also is more consistent description of possibilities useful for long-term prediction, for which the use of the results of statistics analysis is possible. The description of observed data that are used to find the dependences of different factors is made in the following part. Further the approach of the statistics analysis used in this thesis is shown, and the key terms are explained. The dates concerning the consumption of Czech Republic are analyzed, followed by the states with similar trend of the consumption and finally other European states. Sixth chapter examines the possible uses of the outcomes of statistical analyses for long-term prediction of electricity consumption. The conclusion sums up the knowledge acquired during the research concerning problem of electricity consumption and my own analysis of data.

År 2015 fastställde FN 17 globala mål för hållbar utveckling. Delmål 7.2, en del av det sjunde målet om hållbar energi för alla, anger att den globala andelen förnybar energi behöver öka för att minska effekterna av fossila bränslen. Förnybara energikällor framstår som avgörande för framtiden, med människor som viktiga aktörer. Privata fastighetsägare som överväger att investera i solceller möter utmaningar när det gäller att samla in och förstå information om ämnet. Investering i solceller är fördelaktigt ur ett miljöperspektiv,men det finns ytterligare anledningar för en investerare att överväga solceller, särskilt den ekonomiska aspekten. En investerare kan spara pengar genom att köpa mindre el från det allmänna nätet och samtidigt sälja överskottet av egenproducerad el.Examensarbete har tre mål: 1. redogöra för vilka typer av solceller som finns på marknaden, 2. fastställa hur faktorer som takriktning, taklutning och solinstrålning påverkar den årliga elproduktionen och 3. undersöka om elpriserna i södra och norra Sverige har en betydande inverkan på den årliga besparingen, försäljningen av överskottsel samt återbetalningstiden/lönsamheten. En kalkyl har utförts för en fastighet för att beräkna hur mycket el solcellerna kan producera årligen.Med hänsyn till den tid som var tillgänglig för genomförandet av arbetet, var vissa begränsningar nödvändiga. Solcellsteknik är ett omfattande ämnesområde, vilket resulterade i betydande begränsningar under forskningsprocessen. Ytterligare begränsningar inkluderade specifika investeringskostnader, såsom kostnader för profilskenor, skruvar för att säkra solpanelerna, och arbetskraftskostnader för solcellsinstallatörer.Arbetet grundades på beräkningar, platsbesök och intervju med en privat fastighetsägare. Beräkningarna grundades på olika antaganden och statistiska genomsnittsvärden, med hänsyn till potentiell vinst och solcellernas effektiva elproduktion i olika geografiska områden och för olika solcellsfabrikat. Fastighetsägaren deltog i en strukturerad intervju som genomfördes på ett hus i Vetlanda där platsbesöket ägde rum. Huset har ett sadeltakmed en area på 140 m2, som lutar mot öster och väster. Två telefonintervjuergenomfördes med två elbolag i Sverige. Ett av bolagen, där fastighetsägaren är kund, bedriver sin verksamhet i södra Sverige, medan det andra elbolaget, där huset omplacerades som en del av undersökningen, bedriver sin verksamhet i norra Sverige. De metoder som valdes för arbetet var relevanta för att uppnå målen med arbetet. Två olika scenarier undersöktes. Det första scenariot baserades på en relativt låg elförbrukning på 4500 kWh/år, medan det andra scenariot baserades på ett hushåll med en relativt hög elförbrukning på 20 000 kWh/år. Utöver solinstrålning och elpriser, undersöktes dessa två scenarier för att jämföra olika elförbrukningsscenarier och analysera hur de påverkar potentiella besparingar och vinster genom försäljning av överskottsel. Elprisernas fluktuationer och mängden solinstrålning på fastighetens plats är betydande faktorer som starkt påverkar det slutgiltiga resultatet. En strategisk investering i urvalet av lämpliga solcellspaneler och växelriktare från början kan visa sig vara effektiv för att påverka återbetalningstiden och lönsamheten för den totala investeringen i efterhand. / In 2015, the United Nations outlined 17 global goals for sustainable development, with Target 7.2 falling under the seventh goal, focusing on sustainable energy for all. This target emphasizes the necessity of increasing the global share of renewable energy to mitigate the impacts of fossil fuel consumption. Renewable energy sources are deemed essential for the future, with individuals playing a crucial role in this transition. Private property owners investing in solar cells face various challenges in gathering and comprehending information on the subject. While the environmental benefits of solar cell investments are evident, there are additional reasons for investors to consider this solution, particularly from a financial standpoint. By reducing reliance on public grid electricity and selling excess self-produced electricity, investors can both save money and contribute to sustainable practices.The thesis sets three objectives: 1. to delineate the available types of solar panels in the market, 2. to assess how factors such as roof direction, slope, and solar radiation impact annual electricity production, and 3. to explore the influence of electricity prices in southern and northern Sweden on annual savings, surplus electricity sale, and the payback period/profitability. Calculations have been conducted to estimate the annual electricity production potential of solar cells for a specific property.Considering the time constraints, certain limitations were imposed, mainly due to the vastness of solar cell technology. These limitations encompassed specific investment costs such as profile rails, screws for securing solar panels, and labour costs for installers.The study relied on calculations, site visits, and interviews with a private property owner, incorporating various assumptions and statistical averages related to potential profit and efficient electricity production in different geographical areas and from different solar cell manufacturers.Two scenarios were explored: the first, based on a relatively low electricity consumption of 4,500 kWh/year, and the second, assuming a higher consumption of 20,000 kWh/year. Beyond solar radiation and electricity prices, these scenarios were investigated to compare different consumption levels and analyse their impact on potential savings and profits through excess electricity sales.Fluctuations in electricity prices and solar radiation at the property's location significantly influence the final results. A strategic choice of solar panels and inverters from the outset can effectively impact the payback period and overall profitability of the investment.

Introduction: The global demand for renewable energy is expected to grow annually due to rising electricity consumption and economic and regulatory incentives. Efficient consumption and management of electricity consumption can support this trend (shifting from fossil resources to renewable resources) and benefit companies economically by reducing peak loads, reducing subscription costs, and protecting companies' power systems and networks. For effective and efficient electricity management that can help reduce peak electricity demand, resulting in lower demand charges and further reducing operational costs, it is necessary to understand the amount of electricity consumption and its influencing factors. Seasonal and daily variations and social behaviors influence changes in electricity consumption. Electric load variation management is essential for electricity consumers to control costs related to maximum load capacity and building electrical network equipment protection. This research presents an assessment method for describing daily electric load variations. It is applied to electricity consumption systems, but the technique is generic and can be applied to all activities where daily variations occur.Purpose: This thesis aims to show when and why peak load occurs in an office building and also to provide methods to improve the efficiency of electricity consumption during peak load.Method: This method implemented parameters like temperature, electricity consumption, and hours. It assessed a year's hourly electricity consumption in an office building to understand how load changes daily, weekly, and monthly. The case study was the AirSon office building. Data-driven from the efergy online portal was based on the hourly consumption every year.Results: The results show that the outdoor temperature, working hours, and consumption behavior can affect the overall electricity consumption and peak loads. Efficient building strategies are crucial for reducing peak loads by smartly controlling indoor temperature and managing electricity demand. The analysis offers insights into office building electricity consumption patterns and recommends strategies such as prioritizing car charging, optimizing the heat pump's operation of the HVAC system, improving the electricity management system, and using energy storage systems to reduce peak load.Discussion: The findings from this analysis carry implications for electricity consumption. It can provide some insights for reducing electricity consumption and enhancing efficiency in office buildings and similar facilities and also prioritization and rescheduling car chargers. In conclusion, it has interpreted and discussed the various electricity-saving strategies and their potential impact on electricity management.