Electrical energy cannot be stored in large quantities, and therefore, the amount of energy required must be generated at the precise moment at which it is demanded. Switching on a light or connecting an electrical appliance requires that the energy demanded be provided in real time, which means that the energy must be available or a power station must be able to produce the energy required upon demand.
Red Eléctrica, TSO responsible for this balance, works towards a sustainable use of energy with the objective of contributing to flattening the demand curve. This is done by trying to bring about a change in the behaviour of energy consumption, which in turn represents a greater efficiency in the system as a whole and an increase in the integration of renewable energies. To achieve this change, Red Eléctrica promotes outstanding measures targeted at increasing energy saving and efficiency, hourly discrimination, automatic load management or interruptibility demand management services.
Demand management is the scheduling and implementation of different measures destined to influence the way energy is consumed so that a change occurs in the daily energy consumption patterns. These measures contribute to the reduction of CO2 emissions, an increase in the integration of renewable energies into the electricity system and a greater energy efficiency in the system as a whole.
The demand management measures are classified in four major groups depending on the type of impact they have on the demand curve: reduction of consumption, displacement of consumption from peak hours to valley hours, increasing consumption during valley hours and reduction of consumption during peak hours.
