A Load Management Solution For Peak Periods in South Africa

Utilities offer time-of-use tariff schemes as a form of demand-side management. In this tariff structure, the cost of electricity is high during peak periods when the power system is constrained. For many users, the cost of electricity during peak periods can be costly for their operations. In this work, a load management solution is proposed together with its associated hardware implementation. The load management solution requires users to classify their loads as either critical or non-critical and set a peak period energy limit for the control. The load management strategy is demonstrated through a case study to reduce overall energy consumption and the cost of energy.