Tag – Demand-response

Demand response is an important and growing resource on the Northwest’s electricity grid. At August’s Council meeting, leaders from Seattle City Light, Puget Sound Energy, and Opower presented on their strategies to bolster demand response in the Pacific Northwest in upcoming years.

A building design standard for data centers in the Pacific Northwest could reduce peak energy consumption in their electrical and mechanical systems by one-fifth, the Council heard during a panel discussion at its January meeting in Portland. Additionally, panelists discussed programs allowing data center companies whose projects agree to load-flexibility requirements and other standards to speed through grid planning processes and get interconnected sooner.

At July’s Council meeting in Portland, staff from the Pacific Northwest Utilities Conference Committee discussed a new 10-year outlook they’ve produced showing regional utilities’ forecasted electricity demand and planned resources.

At the Council’s June meeting in Missoula, Power Planning Director Jennifer Light gave an update on the process of developing the Ninth Plan while noting that a key milestone has been reached. She also led a discussion of a hydro operations scenario, and Power Division staff presented the preliminary, total potential for energy efficiency and demand response for the Ninth Plan.