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MISO Demand Response
Reduce energy spend and earn money in MISO with Enel
Since 2015, Enel has helped commercial, institutional, and industrial organizations across the Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO) region earn money, save on energy costs, and mitigate carbon emissions with demand response. Our deep well of market expertise provides the tools and guidance today’s organizations need to maximize their demand response earning potential. With Enel, participating in demand response has never been easier.
Learn how your organization can generate revenue as a resource for MISO with Enel as your strategic partner, offering long-term value, guidance, and transparency to help you stake a claim on all opportunities available to you. As the global leader in demand response, Enel has the resources to help you drive value from your energy flexibility via demand response programs in the MISO region. In addition to the Load Modifying Resources program and Operating Reserves Market offered throughout MISO states open to aggregation, Enel offers additional value through exclusive bilateral programs with Ameren Illinois and Ameren Missouri.
MISO demand response program options
MISO Load Modifying Resource (LMR) Program
The LMR program supports MISO to prevent rolling blackouts due to high demand, extreme weather, or transmission issues. Participants can generate revenue as a load modifying resource for MISO – they earn payments for agreeing to be on standby and curtailing electricity consumption when MISO faces supply and demand constraints.
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Program period and hours |
Year Round, 24x7 (Summer, Fall, Winter, and Spring Seasons) |
|
Dispatch notification |
6 hours – 30 minutes; based on customer choice |
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Dispatch duration |
4 hours maximum |
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Dispatch frequency |
Need to be available for up to 16 dispatches per year, historically there have been 0 – 3 per year |
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Minimum size |
100 kW minimum obligation across zonal portfolio |
Pricing for the LMR program has been volatile year over year – gain stability and long-term value with exclusive Enel programs
Enel North America has strategic partnerships with Ameren Illinois and Ameren Missouri to offer a more stable alternative to the fluctuating LMR program. Learn more about these programs and see if you qualify:
Ameren Illinois Business Demand Response Program
Ameren Missouri Business Demand Response Program
MISO Operating Reserves Market
The Operating Reserves Market is a fast-response ancillary program that ensures the stabilization of the MISO grid. Large energy consumers with a minimum size of 1 MW of curtailable load can generate revenue as a standby resource for the MISO. Program participants earn payments for being available to stabilize the grid during critical periods when MISO faces unexpected system disruptions that last for short periods of time. Participants are on standby to deliver capacity by reducing load from the grid within 10 minutes of being notified.
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Program period |
24x7x365; you choose when your site participates |
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Advanced notification |
10 minutes |
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Dispatch duration |
60 minutes maximum; 40 minutes average |
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Dispatch frequency |
10 – 20 per year |
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Minimum size |
1 MW of curtailable load |
MISO demand response program FAQs
Demand response programs provide an opportunity for commercial, institutional, and industrial organizations to earn incentive payments while helping maintain a reliable electric system. When the MISO electric grid faces supply and demand constraints, they dispatch Enel’s demand response network, which is made up of local organizations that have agreed to reduce energy usage during these times of high demand. Program participants earn payments for agreeing to be on standby and curtailing electricity consumption when called upon in response to these events.
- Maximize payments to your bottom line: Enel manages your participation from start to finish, ensuring you earn the highest possible financial reward. Since 2015, our customers have earned more than $1.325 billion in payments.
- Improve your facility’s resilience: In addition to the payments, participants receive advanced notification of grid stability issues, enabling them to proactively protect their facilities from potential power outages.
- Support your community: Your participation helps maintain reliable, low cost electricity in your community.
Enel makes participation easy. We take care of the complex details so you can stay focused on running your business.
- Our local experts work with you to identify your energy reduction potential and create a strategy that delivers maximum value with minimum impact on your operations. We outline these measures in a detailed energy reduction plan.
- In some cases, we install necessary metering devices at your facility to establish communication with our Network Operations Center (NOC), so we can monitor your energy consumption levels in real time.
- Your site is then enrolled and ready to respond when a dispatch begins. Provided your site has Enel metering, log in to the app at any time during a dispatch to view your real-time performance.
- Throughout the process, we fully manage enrollment, measurement, verification and payments on your behalf.
- Notification: When MISO anticipates high demand on the grid, their local utilities dispatch the Enel network into action. Enel will notify you via email, phone, strobe light, or SMS, depending on your preferences, to inform you when the dispatch will begin.
- Response: At the start of the dispatch, your facility will reduce its electricity usage according to your pre-determined energy reduction plan – either manually, or automatically through the NOC.
- Support: Before, during, and after a dispatch, our NOC remains in communication with your facility. Our staff is available 24x7x365, supporting you to ensure that you achieve the highest possible levels of performance and payments.
Enel has extensive experience creating reduction strategies that work within the operational limitations of a wide variety of facilities, including cold storage, manufacturers, food processors, universities, malls, office buildings and more. We can also help to implement full control systems that allow your electric load to be toggled remotely.
Common reduction examples include:
- Modify manufacturing processes
- Adjust HVAC equipment
- Dial back pumps
- Change settings in industrial freezers
- Reduce non-essential lighting
Our customers find that many energy-intensive processes can simply be shifted by a few hours to facilitate dispatch participation. Ask us about our experience working with customers like you.
MISO is composed of individual utilities that manage electricity needs at a localized level. Some of these utilities offer unique demand response programs which are different from the LMR program. These utilities form exclusive partnerships with demand response companies that they trust will deliver a good experience and value to their customers.
Enel has exclusive partnerships with Ameren Illinois and Ameren Missouri. Customers in the Ameren Illinois and Ameren Missouri regions are eligible to participate. These programs provide long-term value, market expertise, transparency around opportunities and expectations, transparency in revenue earnings, and stable pricing year-over-year when compared to the LMR program. Enel secures blocks of capacity in the bilateral market at a set rate to ensure strong and dependable capacity pricing year-over-year.
You can learn more about these programs here:
Our experts are standing by to speak with you about your organization’s demand response opportunity. Submit your information here to get a conversation started with our team.
MISO relies on several operating reserves products that support the MISO electric grid during unexpected system disruptions that only last for a short period of time, such as unplanned generator outages or spikes in energy demand. Program participants are on standby to deliver capacity by reducing load from the grid within minutes of being notified. In return, they earn payments for being available to stabilize the grid during these critical periods.
Large electricity users that can reduce electricity consumption – either by curtailing load, or switching to properly permitted on-site generation – are eligible to provide operating reserves.
Ideal participants have the following characteristics:
- 24x7 or 24x5 operations
- Stable, predictable load profile
- On-site generation with centralized control
- Capable of reducing at least 1 MW load within 10 minutes, most commonly using Enel control solutions
Earnings depend on several factors including hours enrolled in the program, MW reduced, and energy prices. The more you are available, the more you can earn. Enel will work with you to evaluate earnings potential and optimize your participation based on your operational capabilities.
- Reduced energy bills: Since operating reserves prices are tied to the MISO pool price, you can participate in the program to hedge against high retail energy charges.
- Protect your operations: The advanced notice you receive provides a window to prepare and prevent costly damage to your processes and equipment preceding a potential blackout.
- Full control and customization: You decide when and how many MW to bid into the market. You can opt-in and -out of the market with just one day’s notice. Participate only when it makes sense for your business.
Enel works with you to determine a custom participation plan that best suits your site’s operating schedule and financial objectives. Our goal is to maximize your earnings while making participation as simple and hands-off as possible.
- Enel submits daily market offers on your behalf for the following day (weekend and Monday offers are submitted on Friday).
- When your offers clear, you earn payments for being available to reduce load, if called upon.
- If your capacity is needed, Enel will notify you to reduce your load within 10 minutes.
Operating reserves dispatches are triggered by short-term imbalances between supply of and demand on the MISO grid. These imbalances are typically caused by a sudden loss of a generating unit, an unexpected increase in demand, or an issue with an interconnection that links MISO to a neighboring jurisdiction.
Enel shields its customers from owing penalties associated with non-compliance. While failure to meet your commitment may result in lower program payments, you will never be required to make any out-of-pocket payments.
Enel pays for all metering equipment, controls, and connectivity fees associated with enrolling your site in the operating reserves program. We leverage our state-of-the-art Network Operations Center (NOC) to meet MISO’s strict telemetry, bidding, and dispatch requirements, thereby eliminating any technical costs to our customers.
Our experts are standing by to speak with you about your organization’s demand response opportunity. Submit your information here to get a conversation started with our team.
MISO demand response resources
