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    Use case: Reduce peak load

    Load management with on-off consumers

    By identifying flexible consumers in the company and precisely parameterizing them in the load management system, the full potential for peak load reduction can be exploited. Flexible consumers can be located one both independently of production, such as for example charging stations, and also peripherally to production, such as refrigeration systems, .Taking into account the production-side framework conditions and by breaking down energy-related relationships, often extensive flexible consumers can beidentified and integratedinto load management . Precise parameterization ensures that these consumers are available to a sufficient extent without impairing other processes, such as production.

    Identifying flexible consumers for effective load management

    Flexible loads are systems and appliances whose energy consumption can be controlled variably over time without disrupting operational processes. The adaptability of these consumers makes them ideal candidates for measures to reduce peak loads and optimize overall energy consumption.

    Examples of flexible consumers:

    • Heating elements: heating processes can be shifted to times of lower network utilization by adjusting the operating times.
    • Water tanks: The heating or cooling of water in large storage tanks can be flexibly designed to consume energy at times when tariffs are lower.
    • Charging stations for electric vehicles: The control of charging processes can be adapted to the grid load in order to avoid peak loads.
    • Refrigeration processes and ventilation/air conditioning systems: By shifting the operating times, the energy requirements of these systems can be shifted to times when the grid is under less load.

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    Fig. 1: Identification of flexible consumers

    There are important criteria when identifying flexible consumers. Firstly, the selected systems should not be integrated into production processesin a time-critical manner , as is the case with machines within production lines. Instead, systems from peripheral processes are usually selected. Secondly, a relevant power consumption is also an advantage, whereby load management of many smaller consumers canalso be expedient. These criteria canapply to a wide variety of consumers , which is why identification is always an individual operation-dependent process.

    ENIT's 4-step plan: continuous savings and long-term benefits for the industrial company

    With the help of our 4 step plan , we were able toidentify the heating elements placed in the washing lines as flexible consumers atour customer in the metal processing industry. These heating rods heat water in heat accumulators, which islater usedas process water (see figure).

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    Fig. 2: Use case: Switching off heating elements for peak shaving

    By defining the consumer-specific parameters, we were able to precisely determine the permissible curtailment behavior for load management. This ensures that sufficient process heat is always available, even in the event of heavy curtailment.


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    Fig. 3: Schematic representation of peak shaving to reduce the peak load

     

    The ENIT act works continuously and unnoticed to reduce peak loads. For the customer, this has resulted in a decisive change: better planning through increased transparency in consumption and significantly lower costs in the electricity bill.