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19 July 2006 -- As the nationwide triple-digit temperature heat wave drove record highs for power use in many U.S. markets this week, utilities put their peak load management systems to the test.
One system is claiming victory during the energy crunch. EnerNOC, Inc., a demand response and energy management solutions company based in Boston, Mass., helped regional grid operators reduce end-user demand in order to avert potential blackouts.
In New York, the second straight day of 95 degree temperatures led to a new record peak power demand and prompted the New York Independent System Operator (NYISO) to request delivery of EnerNOC's emergency demand response capacity beginning yesterday at 1:00 pm and extending to 10:00 pm. EnerNOC responded by automatically implementing predefined processes with dozens of its commercial and industrial end-use customers to cut back their energy consumption and/or utilize backup power sources.
In California, EnerNOC's resources were called on by the California ISO for the fourth straight business day. The heat wave currently gripping California resulted in a new all-time record peak power demand on Monday and pushed the state to within 1% of another new peak on Tuesday. EnerNOC mobilized dozens of supermarkets, universities and other customers to conserve energy and help California avoid blackouts or brownouts.
New England also experienced record electricity demand on Tuesday, but narrowly managed to satisfy the region's power demands without tapping EnerNOC's demand response resources.
Note:Power Engineering will explore demand response systems further in its August issue. To subscribe to the magazine, click here.
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