Load Management Techniques for a typical South African Utility

Load management is controlling the electricity demand either locally or remotely to balance the power supply and demand, this is generally done to alleviate the grid from any demand strains. There are different methods of load management and the efficiency of the process is largely dependent on the technology available in the system. In recent years there has been a global increase in demand for electricity. Some researchers believe that the only way to meet this increase in demand is by increasing the electricity generation capacity. Other researchers believe that the solution to the problem is to control and manage the existing loads so that demand peaks are curtailed. Although a lot of effort is being placed in increasing the generating capacity, the country still faces a slow development of generation projects. Faster methods to achieve a supply-demand balance are required, this may be achieved through load management procedures. In this paper, an analysis and discussion of three different load management techniques is presented. These methods can be implemented in the short term and could alleviate strains on generation systems. The results reported in this paper show that load management can be beneficial to both the Utility and the Consumer.