Defining intra- and interhour load swings

Electricity consumption varies with time. These temporal variations include moment-to-moment fluctuations plus hour-to-hour changes associated with diurnal, weekly, and seasonal patterns. The problem naturally splits into two time frames: (1) fast fluctuations, on the order of seconds to minutes, and (2) slower fluctuations, on the order of an hour or longer. Fast fluctuations in aggregate load result primarily from the random movements of individual loads. Slower fluctuations result from common external causes, such as time of day, day of the week, and weather. This study empirically examines intra- and interhour load following. It develops methods to separate intra- and interhour load fluctuations, identifies the key features of each, and shows how they differ from each other.