Modeling and Aggregation of Electric Water Heaters for the Development of Demand Response Using Grey Box Models.

Featured Application: The main application of this paper is to review and improve a model that enables the use of water heaters by small electricity customers in electricity markets and services in the short and medium term. For this goal, it is necessary to review the service of loads to avoid customer discomfort and the way control mechanisms work, usually thermostats. To guarantee a minimum level of accuracy in the flexibility of the response, the understanding of heat and electric processes in the load is a cornerstone for the participation of these appliances. This must be done by comprehensive validation of the model in different conditions, including water draws, temperature, and load control. To exemplify the potential of the model, an application in a prosumer scenario is presented. Residential segments are of the greatest interest from the point of view of Demand-Side Resources and Decarbonization. Main end-uses such as water heaters, heating, and cooling have interesting opportunities: first, they can store energy, and this is relevant for the integration of renewables. Second, they are candidates for efficiency and electrification, increasing their demand share and the flexibility of demand. This paper aims to formulate an elemental Physical-Based Heat Pump Water Heater model that will enable the use of these energy-efficient appliances through aggregation in complex products, considering the advantages for demand and supply sides. Simulation results show that the individual performance is quite accurate and that the proposed model is flexible enough to be used to take more profit from energy markets or to easily respond to fast-occurring events. The model can be easily aggregated and used to obtain baselines, an important point for Demand Response evaluation. Results also demonstrate that demand–supply coordination and balance can be improved using these models to reduce or mitigate the risks and volatility of renewables without inducing a noticeable loss of service. Consequently, the contribution of this responsive load can be modelled through this methodology, making the engagement of more customer segments in Demand Response policies more credible and deploying new segments, such as prosumers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]