Assessing potential of carbon flexing for individual households

Abstract

De-carbonising our electricity could be one of the leading steps to fight climate change and positively impact the environment in which we operate in the twenty-first century. This topic, which was widely explored by the production sector, has been outside the reach of individual households. Due to the high costs, de-carbonisation could only happen through significant investments such as solar panels. This thesis explores the possibility of reducing carbon usage not via high investments but via shifting the electricity load to less carbon-intensive grid electricity hours. Therefore, it enhances the fact that electricity on the grid can come from various sources at any given time, and it is better to use high-renewable intensive loads. The project explores both the social willingness to participate in such a shift, the response to automation, and the quantitative potential that could arise from such practices.