Demand Response Advisory Committee Holds First Meeting

Demand response resources are the least-cost solution for providing new peaking capacity and could save the region billions of dollars

The Council's demand response advisory committee held its first meeting on December 1 in the Council's downtown Portland office. It was well attended, with over 60 attendees representing a wide range of interests, including representatives from utilities, state regulatory offices, consulting firms, and energy organizations.

The Council formed the committee to help the region develop the recommended DR resources identified in its regional power plan. The plan found that by developing at least 600 megawatts, we could meet our peak electricity needs and save billions of dollars.

The committee discussed the importance of developing a common definition of DR to provide a comprehensive understanding of its uses and value, as well as the need to have a central hub to share data.

Key next steps will be for the Council to develop proposals for collecting data and a definition of DR, including what it is and how it's used for the region. The demand response advisory committee's website will serve as a clearinghouse for regional data and reports for now.

The committee is scheduled to meet again sometime in early 2017. All advisory committee meetings are open to the public, and you're invited to attend in person or online.