A fuzzy expert system for evaluation of demand-side management alternatives

It is believed that the onset of true competition in the electric power ind ustry may result in the demise of demand-side management (DSM) as it is kno wn today, which is primarily a means of optimizing a utility's load curve. IS DSM is to survive, utilities will need to evaluate the large number of p ossible options more efficiently and effectively than ever before. To reach this goal, the subjective portion of the evaluation process has been formu lated into a fuzzy expert system, yielding faster, more efficient, and cons istent results. This paper outlines the development of FEDSM, a Fuzzy Exper t system designed to evaluate Demand-Side Management alternatives. FEDSM is a user-friendly, visual ba sie, and spreadsheet-based evaluation tool whic h allows the user to develop a flexible expert system. FEDSM is tested and evaluated on actual DSM data collected by a public utility in Nebraska, gen erating promising results.