Demand-Side Solutions to Winter Peaks and Constraints

The number of winter-peaking utilities is expected to grow much larger over the next 10–20 years due to electrification of end uses, particularly space heating. Additional winter constraints, like the loss of generation during extreme weather events, can pose similar challenges for the electric grid to meeting winter demand.

This discussion with ACEEE's Utility Manager, Michael Specian, will characterize the opportunity for demand-side measures (DSMs) like demand response, energy efficiency, and storage to mitigate winter peaks and constraints. It will cover the state of current and future winter peaks, summarize which DSMs offer the greatest potential for managing high winter demand, and highlight examples of existing North American utility programs that realize winter peak savings through DSMs. It will also provide a regional modeling case study of a highly electrified New England to quantify the extent to which different DSM packages can mitigate winter peak resulting from a polar vortex event.