Virtual power plants fill supply gaps in heat wave | Green Tech. During a few hours of last week's East Coast heat wave, thousands of megawatts worth of electricity--enough to power hundreds of thousands of homes--were temporarily removed from the grid, a practice grid operators expect to do more often to weather energy supply crunches on the grid. PJM, which operates the wholesale electricity market in 13 states, on Monday reported that it put into effect an "emergency" demand response program last week, tapping over 2,500 megawatts worth of energy reductions, dispersed over thousands of sites, to ensure that electricity flowed during times of peak demand. The last time PJM called in these " demand side resources " was an August day three years ago. But automated efficiency technology, particularly dialing back electricity usage during peak times, is becoming one of the most effective smart-grid tools for maintaining the balance between electricity supply and demand.
In aggregate, though, those changes are significant. A technology race to curb peak energy demand | Green Tech. It's summertime but the living isn't easy if you work for a utility. High heat, leading to heavy air conditioning loads, puts a strain on grid operators' ability to keep electricity flowing to the grid, as happened earlier this month in the Northeast region of the United States.
A report from Lux Research released on Wednesday says this peak demand time has given an entry point for three types of technologies to curb electricity usage: demand response, solar, and storage. Because each technology has its own limitations, continuing with the current method of using natural gas "peaker plants" is still a possible path for utilities, said Lux analyst Ted Sullivan. "The verdict is that it's really going to be a mix because of the limitations and capacity factor," Sullivan said.
The capacity factor is the amount of time per year that a power-producing resource is available. Demand response systems curtail electricity usage primarily at commercial and industrial facilities. Virtual Power Plant - KEMA Innovation Forum - KEMA. Virtual Power Plants: Replacing Megawatts with Negawatts - Utility Automation/Electric Light & Power. Gmf.fcm.ca/Search/PDF/GMEF5420_CS_e.pdf. Energy Saved. Dollars Earned - Maryland PIRG.