Load management encompasses the critical strategies of ensuring that power supply and demand meet cleanly at a point that doesn’t stress the grid or cause financial stress on utilities or customers, an area that will be of increasing importance with each passing year. In this monthly digest, we cover the most talked about and newsworthy articles in this space that were published on Energy Central over the past four weeks. We invite you to ‘get a load of this!’ every month and track the load management sector.
New Load Source – Car Dealers
Link to original article: https://energycentral.com/c/em/new-load-source-car-dealers
We spend a lot of time talking about the future of electrified transportation and what impact it will have on the grid (if this is an area in your wheelhouse, definitely consider contributing to our upcoming Special Issue on the topic!), but resident thought leader Doug Houseman poses an interesting question that doesn’t get brought up as much: what about the EV car dealerships themselves?
Xcel time-of-use rate pilot shows only slight impact
Link to original article: https://energycentral.com/c/pip/xcel-time-use-rate-pilot-shows-only-slight-impact-energy-news-network
Time of Use rates is one of the most used strategies when it comes to load management and providing nudges from a market perspective to ensure that supply and demand are most likely to align. But what is the exact impact of such TOU rates? Are they as much as we expect? Can we expect customers to act completely rationally? Frank Jossi’s coverage of a recent TOU pilot from Xcel calls into question the real impact, and it’s worth exploring.
Going beyond energy efficiency – how can industrial energy users provide flexibility to help decarbonise the grid?
Link to original article: https://energycentral.com/c/em/going-beyond-energy-efficiency-%E2%80%93-how-can-industrial-energy-users-provide
Industrial customers have the greatest individual load demand on the grid, and while energy efficiency has always been a potential solution that has been utilized, more impact can likely be felt when industrial opens itself up to flexibility than conservation. Siobhan, from the Demand Response Association of Ireland, highlights the magnitude of this possibility.
Alliant Energy offers $25 payments if customers let utility control thermostats
Link to original article: https://energycentral.com/c/pip/alliant-energy-offers-25-payments-if-customers-let-utility-control-thermostats
Lastly, it’s always critical to hear from the utilities themselves about the success and challenges associated with attempted load management projects. As such it was great to hear from Jeff Adams, Lead Customer Product Manager at Alliant Energy, to cover what results they had in their smart thermostat demand response program. Could this be the beginning of deeper flexibility and customization in the market? These types of offerings are sure to test those waters.
Thanks for reading this issue of ‘Get a Load of This!’ See you in this spot in four weeks to go over the great content that will be coming between now and then! This spot can feature the insights from you or the major stories at your organization—so don’t be shy about sharing your content on the Load Management Group today!
Make sure you don’t miss out on these shared insights in the future.
If you're not yet a member of the EC Load Management community, follow the link to 'JOIN NOW!' Then select the "join option" in the top right of the group page. If you are not yet registered, you will be prompted to create a profile first.
As a member, you'll not only be able to read what your fellow peers are saying but also be able to join in on the conversations by sharing your insights (which might get featured in a future monthly digest!). Plus, you can start a conversation by discussing articles with peers in the comments section, and you will automatically be signed up to receive the Network's weekly newsletter.
Already a member, but you’re not receiving the Community Group's Updates? Log in, and then follow this link to manage your newsletter Subscriptions. Some Community Groups do not have their own updates. The updates are rolled into the EC's Weekly Network Newsletters. For the Load Management Group, select the Energy Management Network Newsletter.