Fulfilling the potential of nuclear power industry through demand side management

Abstract

The study analyzes the feasibility and ways of including nuclear power plants (NPPs) in demand side management (DSM) programs. Reducing peak load on energy systems is of high interest to nuclear energy managers because the load grows and so does the share of base load, providing an impetus for the construction of new NPPs in regions. The authors propose the principles and mechanisms of DSM and a system of organizational and economic measures that would encourage energy companies to get actively engaged in DSM programs. It is shown that it is appropriate to consider DSM as a way of improving the flexibility characteristics of new NPPs, such as their increasing their capacity factor, boosting output while reducing costs and, therefore, increasing their profitability. © 2017 WIT Press.