The late June heat wave that affected large areas of the western US caused a need for EnerNOC to dispatch 850MW of demand response capacity.
The extended heat caused increased power consumption as demand on air conditioning units soared, which threatened grid stability and led to a spike in electricity prices.
EnerNOC dispatched the power to 14 customers across California, Idaho, Utah and New Mexico to restore balance in their systems.
“Because buildings retain heat, it takes more energy on day three, four, and five of a heat wave to cool the same amount of space. This heat wave has been unrelenting in many areas, taxing the grid and creating an increased need for power,” explained Tim Healy, Chairman and CEO of EnerNOC. He added that the company employed strategic load shedding of across thousands of sites, to ensure stable, reliable power was delivered to millions of people affected by this heat wave.
An increased number of utilities have integrated demand response into their portfolios to manage increased energy use without having to use peaking power plants.
