Factors Influencing Demand Side Management Strategies

Academic Paper from the year 2018 in the subject Energy Sciences, grade: 87.00, , course: LRPM, language: English, abstract: The future of UK's energy industry is currently facing significant threats attributed to dwindling energy resources and escalating energy demand. Demand side management strategies can play a central role in facilitating the UK to smoothly transition from relying on conventional energy production systems to modernised systems that are more reliable due to reduced production costs and enhanced yields. The DSM strategies are predominantly divided into three types namely demand side reaction, distributed generation, and demand reduction.

Demand-side responses are concerned mainly with short-term actions characterising the consumers in attempts to modify their power consumption patterns. Distributed generation seeks to establish localized energy generation and distribution to offset the demand load in macro grid power systems. Demand reduction is caused by escalating population growth and the increase of technological appliances and seeks to reduce the energy stress in macro grid power networks. Reducing energy demand explores significant ways to influence consumer behaviours and to enhance power consumption efficiency.

Each of DSM groups is affected by technological, financial, and institutional factors. Financial aspects explore monetary benefits and barriers while technological factors deal with technical potential and challenges inhibiting successful implementation of DSM strategies. The institutional elements mostly focus on regulatory issues influencing demand-side management strategies. Thus, the primary recommendations in the UK¿s context are concerned with technical developments and policy reconstitution to facilitate secure and sustainable energy management.