Potential of Demand Response in Thailand

The steady increase in the demand for electricity around the world, especially in developing countries has a serious impact on generating a reserve of the electrical system of the countries. This low reserve margin can cause a large damage to customers. Therefore, it is necessary to increase the electricity-generating reserve. This may be done by building a new power plant that would need high investments, could have huge effects on the environment, and usually causes social problems. Thus, many countries use Demand Response (DR) to reduce peak power. By changing the behavior of the consumer which respond to the electricity price and compensation from reduction of their peak demand. This study was to investigate the potential of using the DR in Thailand. The eight existing buildings in Bangkok has been audited and measured to get the electricity consumption characteristic and also the usage schedule of all the main equipment. The study found that the potential for DR can be categorized into two major groups of measures: 1) generator reserve and 2) reduction of building demand. Based on the analysis and evaluation of these buildings, the overall reduction is 3,940 kW from a 20,736 kW peak. Moreover, the study also found that the key issue to consider in the implementation of measures is impact on customers, availability, age and maintenance and costs of the generator.