A NATO Advanced Study Institute on "Demand-Side Management and Electricity End-Use Efficiency" was held in order to present and to discuss some of the most recent developments in demand-side electric power management and planning methodologies as well as research progress in relevant end-use technologies. Electricity is assuming an increasingly important role in buildings and industry, due to its flexibility, efficiency of conversion and cleanliness at the point of use. However the production and transmission of electricity requires huge investments and may have undesirable environmental impacts. The recent nuclear accident in Chernobyl and the damage caused by acid precipitation are creating increasing concerns about the impacts of power plants. Some environmental problems are local or regional, others such as global warming can affect the whole world. Although environmental impacts may be minimized with additional investments, electricity generation will become even more capital intensive. Energy, and electricity in particular, is not directly consumed by people. To achieve improved standards of living, what is important is. the level of production of goods and services. If it is possible to produce the same quantity of goods and services with less electricity and in a cost-effective way, substantial benefits can be gained. By reducing costs, electricity efficiency can raise the standards of living and increase the competitiveness of an economy. Electricity efficiency also leads to reduced requirements in power plant operation, thus leading to reduced consumption of primary energy supplies and a higher quality environment.

The power system has often been cited as the greatest and most complex machine ever built, yet it is predominantly a mechanical system. Technologies and intelligent systems are now available that can significantly enhance the overall functionality of power distribution and make it ready to meet the needs of the 21st century. This book explains how sensors, communications technologies, computational ability, control, and feedback mechanisms can be effectively combined to create this new, continually adjusting "smart grid" system. It provides an understanding of both IntelliGridSM architecture and EnergyPortSM as well as how to integrate intelligent systems to achieve the goals of reliability, cost containment, energy efficiency in power production and delivery, and end-use energy efficiency.

With different intensities, depending on the season, every morning and evening of any weekday there are the same peaks in electricity demand. Peaks can bring about significantly negative environmental and economic impacts. Demand Side Response is a relatively recent solution in Europe which has the potential to reduce peak demand and ease impending capacity shortages. Peak Energy Demand and Demand Side Response presents evidence on a set of Demand Side Response activities, ranging from price-based to incentive-based programmes and policies. Examples are drawn from different programmes for both residential and non-residential sectors of electricity demand, including Time of Use tariffs, Critical Peak Pricing Automated Demand Controllers and Ancillary Services. The book also looks at the actual energy saving impacts of smart meters, the activities which constitute peak demand and the potential opportunities associated with European smart grids and Capacity Markets. This is the first book presenting comprehensive analysis of the impacts, cost benefits and risks associated with Demand Side Response programmes and policies. It should be of interest to students, scholars and policy-makers in the areas of energy, environmental economics and applied economics.

The practice of Demand-Side Management (DSM) has evolved over the past three decades in response to lessons learned from implementation in different global settings, and also in response to the changing needs of restructured power markets. The most notable change that is occurring today is the inclusion of programs that emphasize price responsiveness in the DSM portfolio. Traditionally, DSM programs were confined to energy efficiency and conservation programs with reliability-driven load management programs being used occasionally to manage emergency situations. Electric prices were taken as a given when designing such programs, hampering the eventual success of all such efforts. This Primer has been written to introduce the new concepts of price-responsive DSM that are currently being investigated in a variety of different market settings. It highlights different criteria and taxonomies for classification and evaluation of DSM programs and recommends programs that will likely provide a better fit with the objectives, expected needs and outcomes of DSM initiatives in developing and transition countries. As defined in this primer, such initiatives include both load shifting programs (that either clip peak loads or shift energy used in the peak period to off-peak periods) and efficiency programs (that reduce the total amount of energy). The purpose of the primer is to provide successful examples of price-responsive DSM programs from the developed world and by discussing their workings, show that they can be also be applied to the developing world. Of course, before price-responsive programs can be implemented in the developing world, certain pre-requisites pertaining to metering and billing practices would have to be implemented. These are discussed in the report.