Peak load reduction in electrical energy consumption
Electrical load profiles are subdivided into base load (minimum power consumption at all times) and peak load (high load occurring for a short time). In the industrial sector, special tariff models are usually offered for large consumers.
These consist of:
- a basic price
- an operating price
- a reactive power price
- a performance price
The capacity charge depends on the highest peak load of a billing interval. Thus, the capacity charge often has a very high share of the total costs.
Depending on the grid operator, the share of power costs in the total charges can be up to 90 %. For this reason, many companies are interested in reducing peak loads in electrical energy consumption.