Fuzzy control design for thermostatically controlled loads considering consumers' thermal comfort

In this paper, a decentralized load control scheme for power system frequency regulation is proposed. This scheme is on the use of thermal energy storage capacity in thermostatically controlled loads (TCLs) considering consumers' thermal comfort. A fuzzy algorithm is applied to the evaluation of consumers' comfort level, in which temperature and relative humidity of the conditioned space are involved. The fuzzy rule is embedded into the frequency control loop of TCLs. The mismatch between generation and load is represented by the system frequency deviation that is measured locally. For the aggregation of decentralized loads response, Monte-Carlo sampling is conducted to address the randomness of model parameters. Case studies show that the proposed scheme can mitigate frequency deviation caused by generation-load imbalance. The frequency can be also restored to a reasonable level within a short time without compromising consumers' comfort.