Demand-side resources are taking an increasingly prominent role in providing essential grid services once provided by thermal power plants. This thesis considers the economic feasibility and environmental effects of integrating demand-side resources into the electric grid with consideration given to the diversity of market and environmental conditions that can affect their behavior. Chapter 2 explores the private economics and system-level carbon dioxide reduction when using demand response for spinning reserve. Steady end uses like lighting are more than twice as profitable as seasonal end uses because spinning reserve is needed year-round. Avoided carbon emission damages from using demand response instead of fossil fuel generation for spinning reserve are sufficient to justify incentives for demand response resources. Chapter 3 quantifies the system-level net emissions rate and private economics of behind-the-meter energy storage. Net emission rates are lower than marginal emission rates for power plants and in-line with estimates of net emission rates from grid-level storage. The economics are favorable for many buildings in regions with high demand charges like California and New York, even without subsidies. Future penetration into regions with average charges like Pennsylvania will depend greatly on installation cost reductions and wholesale prices for ancillary services. Chapter 4 outlines a novel econometric model to quantify potential revenues from energy storage that reduces demand charges. The model is based on a novel predictive metric that is derived from the building’s load profile. Normalized revenue estimates are independent of the power capacity of the battery holding other performance characteristics equal, which can be used to calculate the profit-maximizing storage size. Chapter 5 analyzes the economic feasibility of flow batteries in the commercial and industrial market. Flow batteries at a 4-hour duration must be less expensive on a dollar per installed kWh basis, often by 20-30%, to break even with shorter duration li-ion or lead-acid despite allowing for deeper depth of discharge and superior cycle life. These results are robust to assumptions of tariff rates, battery round-trip efficiencies, amount of solar generation and whether the battery can participate in the wholesale energy and ancillary services markets.

abstract: In recent years, many school districts, community colleges, and universities in California have implemented energy management-as-a-service (EMaaS). The purpose of this study was to analyzes how EMaaS has been realized in California schools, including how performance expectations and service guarantees have been met, how value is created and captured, and which trends are emerging in the pay-for-performance models. This study used a qualitative research design to identify patterns in the collected data and allow theories to be drawn from the emergent categories and themes. Ten in-depth interviews were conducted with a diverse pool of facility managers, energy practitioners, superintendents, and associate superintendents working with EMaaS. Four themes emerged (1) peak shaving overperformance, (2) low risk/reward, (3) performance exactly as expected, and (4) hope in future flexibility. This study reveals medium to high levels of performance satisfaction from the customers of cloud-enabled and battery-based EMaaS in California schools. Value has been captured primarily through peak shaving and intelligent bill management. Large campuses with higher peaks are especially good at delivering energy savings, and in some instances without pairing batteries and solar. Where demand response participation is permitted by the utility companies, the quality of demand response performance is mixed, with performance being exactly as expected to slightly less than expected. The EMaaS business model is positioned to help California schools implement and achieve many of their future sustainability goals in a cost-effective way. / Dissertation/Thesis / Masters Thesis Construction Management 2020

Battery Storage Systems (BESS) installed Behind the Meter (BTM) can provide demand management services, reducing electricity costs and enhancing overall electricity system stability. BTM BESS can also imporve self-consumption obtained with distributed generation assets like solar photovoltaics. This study examines the influence on value creation from consumption patterns and utility tariffs. Using Swedish and UK tariffs and a set of consumption profiles, the study determines the optimal BESS configuration and conducts simulations to assess profability through Net Present Value. Comparative analysis reveals the impact of utility tariffs and consumption profiles on profitablility. Projected BESS cost levels for 2030 and 2050 are used to evaluate expected future profitability.  The findings indicate that utility tariff has a stronger influence on BTM BESS profitability than consumption profile. Energy arbitrage creates most of the value, depending more on tariff structure than consumption pattern. However, with higher demand charges, the consumtion profile becomes more important as the relative value of peak shaving increases. Two sensitivity analyses have been performed. The first shows that NPVs are affected by decreased electricity price variability, emphasising the need for accurate long-term price forcasts. The second shows that existing electricity consumption forecasting techniques prove sufficient for effective peak shaving.  In conclusion, this research inderscores the significance of utility tariffs and consumption profiles in determining BTM BESS profitability. Energy arbitrage dominates value creation, while peak shaving gains importance with higher demand charges. Accurate long-term price forecasts are crucial for assessing BTM BESS profitability, and existing consumption forecasting techniques are suitable for peak shaving. / Batterilagring installerad bakom elmätaren kan optimera en fastighets elkonsumtion för att reducera elkostnader samt förbättra stabiliteten i elsystemet som helhet. Den här studien undersöker faktorer som påverkar värdeskapande genom energiarbitrage och peak shaving, inklusive konsumtionsprofiler och eltariffer. Studien undersöker även om det går att uppnål önsamhet under nuvarande och framtida prisnivåer för batterilagring. Studien utgår ifrån svenska och brittiska eltariffer samt fem konsumtionsprofiler, och fastställer den mest optimala konfigurationen av batterilagring genom optimering. Därefter jämförs lönsamheten genom nettonuvärde-analys för att dra slutsatser om hur eltariff och konsumtionsprofil påverkar lönsamhet. Studien visar att lönsamhet för batterilagring bakom mätaren beror mer på eltariff än konsumtionsprofil. Detta eftersom mest värde skapas genom energiarbitrage som är mindre beroende av konsumtionsprofil men direkt beroende av variationer i elpriset. Med högre effektavgifter ökar lönsamhetens beroende av konsumtionsprofilen då det relativa värdet av peak shaving höjs. En känslighetsanalys visar på en stark korrelation mellan värdet av energiarbitrage och variationer i elpriset, vilket visar vikten av långsiktiga prognoser av elprisets volatilitet. Befintliga tekniker för prognostisering av elkonsumtion har tillräcklig noggrannhet för effektivpeak shaving. Sammanfattningsvis visar studien hur eltariff och konsumtionsprofil påverkar lönsamheten för batterilagring installerad bakom elmätaren. Majoriteten av värdet skapas genom energiarbitrage för svenska och brittiska tariffer. Med högre effektavgifter ökar betydelsen av peak shaving. Dessutom betonar studien vikten av långsiktiga prognoser av elprisvolatilitet vid utvärderingen av lönsamheten för investeringar i batterilagring bakom mätaren.