Evaluation of a demand side management photovoltaic system

Photovoltaic power systems are potentially well suited to commercial demand side management applications because the solar resource coincides well with the typical weekday load profile of many types of commercial utility customers. To investigate this potential a 13 kW AC PV system has been installed by Niagara Mohawk near Albany, NY, USA. The results from two years of operation show that photovoltaics can play an important role in reducing a building's daytime peak demand, especially when that peak demand is driven by air conditioning loads. >