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Collective effects and synchronization of demand in real-time demand response

Sustainable energy systems require flexible elements to balance the variability of renewable energy sources. Demand response aims to adapt the demand to the variable generation, in particular by shifting the load in time. In this article, we provide a detailed statistic analysis of the collective operation of many demand response units. We establish and simulate a model for load shifting in response to real-time electricity pricing using local storage systems. We show that demand response drives load shifting as desired, but also induces strong collective effects that may threaten system stability. The load of individual households synchronizes, leading to extreme demand peaks. We provide a detailed statistical analysis of the grid load, and quantify both the likeliness and extent of extreme demand peaks.