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Demand Response Technologies, Programs and Policies

Experience with regional power markets suggests that active demand response is crucial to both power system reliability and market efficiency. Efforts to enable demand-side participation in electricity markets are providing significant opportunities for end users and aggregators. Lawrence Berkeley National Lab research projects focus on analysis of demand response policies and programs, adoption of enabling technologies, and technical assistance to independent system operators (ISOs), utilities, and regulatory agencies on program design, implementation, evaluation, and measurement & verification.

Design and Evaluation of Demand Response Programs

Independent System Operators (ISOs) and some utilities are developing a portfolio of reliability-oriented and economic demand response programs that pay customers for load reductions at critical times. LBNL assists policymakers, ISOs and utilities with program design and evaluation. Examples include technical advisor to the New England Demand Response Initiative, evaluation of New York ISO Price-Responsive Load programs, and technical assistance to CEC, NYSERDA, CAISO, and Western Governors Association on DR program design issues. Evaluation studies include customer market research, surveys/interviews with load aggregators, customer participation by market segment, and assessment of DR program impacts, costs, and benefits.

Project Team:

Charles Goldman (Project Lead)
Galen Barbose
Ranjit Bharvirkar

Measurement and Verification (M&V) Protocols for Demand Response Programs

Demand Response program administrators require tools for measuring and verifying customers' actual load reductions in order to assess program impacts and system benefits. LBNL has developed M&V protocols for Demand Response programs targeted at customers without interval meters and is working on developing lower-cost, standardized M&V methods that are acceptable to ISOs and load aggregators.

Project Team:

Charles Goldman (Project Lead)
Ranjit Bharvirkar
Mithra Moezzi
Grayson Heffner (consultant)

Assessment of Real-Time Pricing Experience

Real-time pricing (RTP) and other dynamic pricing schemes are often advocated as cost-effective means to send demand response signals to customers. LBNL research examines customer experience with RTP, either through programs where a RTP tariff is offered as an optional service or as the default service for larger customers in selected states that have retail competition. Topics addressed include: (1) case studies of RTP program experience, (2) customer market surveys and in-depth interviews combined with econometric demand modeling, (3) regulatory experience adopting RTP and other market-based tariffs, (4) analysis of price protection products and strategies to mitigate customer exposure to price volatility, (5) price responsiveness of various types of customers, and (6) interaction between RTP and ISO- or utility-administered demand response programs.

Project Team:

Charles Goldman (Project Lead)
Galen Barbose
Ranjit Bharvirkar
Mike Ting

International Demand Response Efforts

LBNL provides technical assistance to the International Energy Agency Demand Response Resource (DRR) Program and Market Analysis project.

Project Team:

Charles Goldman (Project Lead)