Time Varying Marginal Emissions Intensity of Energy Consumption: Implications for Flexible Loads

Abstract

Climate-conscious electricity consumers can modify their energy consumption patterns by shifting or shedding load in order to reduce carbon emissions. The impact of modified consumption on emissions is through the marginal emissions intensity, i.e., the emissionality of the marginal resource on the grid. The marginal emissions intensity varies with time, and we study the peaks and differences of this intensity over 2018. We find that alongside a seasonal pattern in emissions intensity, there are some times when it is particularly effective to shed or shift load. This has implications for situations when modifying consumption is expensive or causes discomfort to consumers, as it can help prioritise load shift/shed actions. We study the energy consumption patterns during these time periods and identify loads that might be particularly useful for load shed/shift.