{{ content.title }}

You can see spikes in the line chart demonstrating an increase in events. At a high level, many of these dates correlate to when there were times of extreme heat: for instance, the initial heat dome that rocked the Northeast and Midwest from June 18–23, heatwaves in the West and Northeast during the following month on July 8–9 and July 15–18, and another heat wave at the beginning of August.

Demand response played a critical role in providing grid stability during these months. Here are some specific highlights:

• New England stands out as a region where demand response played an active role for the entirety of the summer. Demand response was dispatched 4 times on June 18 – these events were short in duration, ranging about an hour in length each time, Demand response was also dispatched 5 times from July 5 – 15, with the events ranging from a half hour in length[WU1] [JD2]  to nearly 5 hours. Another splurge of activity occurred at the start of August, with 5 events taking place on August 1, with events ranging from a few minutes long to over an hour in length, and another 8-minute event on August 2. All in all, 15 demand response events took place in New England from June through August (nearly 17 hours in total), with over 154,000 kWh of energy offered to the grid and over 44,000 kg of CO2 emissions were avoided by not powering up peaker plants.
• In New York, 3 events stand out. July 15 and 16 each saw a 5-hour event. Not long after, on August 1, another 5-hour event took place. In total, these events delivered nearly 1,400,000 kWh of energy to the grid and helped avoid nearly 400,000 kg CO2 emissions by not firing up peaker plants.
• In Ontario, a 4-hour event on June 19 and another right away on June 20 delivered more than 1,200,000 kWh of energy support to the grid and helped avoid more than 95,000 kg of CO2 emissions by not firing up peaker plants  – a big win all around.

The grid needs demand response now more than ever

As our summer 2024 data illustrates, demand response resources are emerging as a critical component for maintaining grid reliability. These resources require no new infrastructure, offer cost-effective solutions, and are incredibly flexible, allowing them to be rapidly deployed to meet the grid’s capacity needs. In a time when power systems are under immense pressure from increasing energy consumption and the escalating frequency and intensity of weather events, such resources are becoming indispensable.

The grid is facing mounting challenges and will need to depend more heavily on flexible loads to ensure supply keeps pace with rising demand. These flexible demand-side resources enable grid operators to adjust consumption patterns in real time, helping to smooth peaks in demand and avoid strain on the grid during critical periods.

Managing demand-side resources and flexible loads is a recognized piece of the puzzle to support grid stability. The value of demand response lies in its efficiency and economic sense. It is far more cost-effective for grid operators to pay large energy consumers to temporarily reduce their energy usage rather than investing in constructing expensive, carbon-intensive peaking power plants that they only use during periods of extreme demand. By managing demand-side resources and tapping into flexible loads, grid operators can avoid costly infrastructure expansion, reduce emissions, and strengthen overall grid resilience.

Ultimately, as the grid evolves to meet the growing complexities of modern energy needs, flexible load management will continue to be crucial for ensuring long-term stability, reliability, and sustainability. Demand response is a smart, scalable solution that benefits utilities, consumers, and the environment.

How can your organization get involved?

There’s never been a better time to get involved with demand response to drive efficiencies within your energy infrastructure, support the grid, and get paid for doing so. Many utilities and grid operators have demand response programs and are paying lucratively for organizations like yours to participate to provide flexible load to the grid. Take PJM, for instance, where pricing for the 2025/26 delivery year skyrocketed to record levels, creating the most opportunistic environment for demand response we’ve ever seen.

The beauty of demand response is that it incentivizes more flexible and efficient use of existing assets – and most organizations have flexible elements of their operations that can be part of a demand response curtailment plan. Think about your own facility’s infrastructure. Depending on your operations, some examples of energy reduction strategies include reducing heating and cooling, shutting down or shifting machinery processes, reducing chillers and more in refrigeration processes, and simply reducing non-ancillary controls such as lighting.

Ensuring you’re working with a demand response partner like Enel North America is essential. A partner should understand the challenges that your industry faces, tailor an energy reduction strategy specific to your priorities, be transparent about your earning potential, and demonstrate the experience required to help you maximize opportunity.

As the global leader in demand response, Enel has the resources to help you drive value from demand response programs in the United States and Canada, with personalized energy reduction plans, deep market expertise, and a team by your side every step of the way, with your organization’s best interests at heart.

Contact our team today to learn more about participating in demand response in your region and how you can stake your claim on opportunities to generate revenue and provide essential grid stability using assets you already have.