Living with demand response: Insights from a field study of DSR using heat pumps

Demand response with domestic heat pumps has gained interest in recent years. It is seen as a possible solution to the need to balance electricity grids that are sourcing a higher proportion of their electricity from variable low-carbon electricity sources. Although many modelling studies suggest that demand response with heat pumps will be successful, we have little knowledge of their real-world impacts, including the impact on indoor conditions and the perception of these. This study compares what happened in three homes of early adopters of heat pumps with demand-side response (DSR). In the three households, the operation of the heat pump was constrained from 4pm to 7pm to provide demand response. Drawing on technical monitoring, we report on indoor conditions in the home and heat pump operation. Drawing on interviews and informed by social practice theory, we explore how comfort at home is experienced and achieved. The focus of the study is on the indoor conditions as the material background for daily practices, and on how these are sensed, interpreted, and created through comfort practices. The analysis of the results revealed that air and surface temperatures dropped during demand response (air temperature dropped 0.3-1.1 degrees in 3 hours). However, these changes were sensed and interpreted differently by different participants: (1) not perceived, (2) noticed but tolerated without affecting DSR or (3) not tolerated. Although material adjustments were common in (2) and (3), the nature of the adjustment depended on the know-how of the participants and the meaning associated with temperature changes; for example, (2) adopted new materials (e.g., clothes) while (3) changed the operation of the heat pump to produce more acceptable indoor conditions. The findings challenge conventional modelling assumptions that demand response is unnoticed by people if the indoor temperature remains within the limits of steady-state models of thermal comfort and reveal how demand response is negotiated and incorporated into daily practices

Demand response with heat pumps: Practical implementation of three different control options

The electrification of heating and transport and decarbonisation of supply creates a need for demand side flexibility to balance the grid. Heat pumps are expected to form a major part of heat delivery, and many modelling studies have investigated the technical potential of heat pump demand response. However, little empirical work has been reported on the practical implementation of such demand response in occupied homes. This paper presents a cross-case comparison of three early adopters of heat pump demand response in the UK. The aim was to reduce heat pump electricity consumption during the same peak period, but each employed a different control strategy: lowered air temperature setpoints, lowered flow temperature and blocked heat pump compressor. A 56–90% electricity reduction during the peak period was observed; the success of the demand response depended on how the control strategy affected the heat pump and the rest of the heating system. However, no one stakeholder is responsible for all these system components. The fabric, heating distribution and control system and heat pumps installed are highly heterogeneous across the stock, highlighting that flexibility mechanisms must be developed that can be tailored to or work across their range

Characterization of p38α signaling networks in cancer cells using quantitative proteomics and phosphoproteomics

p38α (encoded by MAPK14) is a protein kinase that regulates cellular responses to almost all types of environmental and intracellular stresses. Upon activation, p38α phosphorylates many substrates both in the cytoplasm and nucleus, allowing this pathway to regulate a wide variety of cellular processes. While the role of p38α in the stress response has been widely investigated, its implication in cell homeostasis is less understood. To investigate the signaling networks regulated by p38α in proliferating cancer cells, we performed quantitative proteomic and phosphoproteomic analyses in breast cancer cells in which this pathway had been either genetically targeted or chemically inhibited. Our study identified with high confidence 35 proteins and 82 phosphoproteins (114 phosphosites) that are modulated by p38α, and highlighted the implication of various protein kinases, including MK2 and mTOR, in the p38α-regulated signaling networks. Moreover, functional analyses revealed an important contribution of p38α to the regulation of cell adhesion, DNA replication and RNA metabolism. Indeed, we provide experimental evidence supporting that p38α facilitates cancer cell adhesion, and showed that this p38α function is likely mediated by the modulation of the adaptor protein ArgBP2. Collectively, our results illustrate the complexity of the p38α regulated signaling networks, provide valuable information on p38α-dependent phosphorylation events in cancer cells, and document a mechanism by which p38α can regulate cell adhesion.Copyright © 2023 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved