PLMA: Load Management Dialogues

Load Flexibility Potential in U.S. by 2030

September 05, 2019 PLMA, Ryan Hledik, The Brattle Group, Richard Barone, Hawaiian Electric
PLMA: Load Management Dialogues
Load Flexibility Potential in U.S. by 2030
Show Notes

A recent study by The Brattle Group identified nearly 200 GW of cost-effective load flexibility potential in the U.S. by 2030. This load flexibility potential, which equates to 20% of estimated U.S. peak load in 2030, would more than triple the existing demand response (DR) capability and would be worth more than $15 billion annually in avoided system costs.

In this webcast, the authors of the study will discuss key findings and their implications for the demand response market, including predictions such as:

  • Utility load flexibility programs will become smarter before they get bigger, by first modernizing existing demand response programs to tap into their underutilized potential.
  • Residential load flexibility additions will exceed those of larger commercial and industrial customers, despite having only a 30% share of the current demand response market.
  • New regulatory incentives will be a primary driver of growth in load flexibility, due to renewed industry-wide interest in regulatory models that encourage utilities to pursue demand-side initiatives rather than capital investment in infrastructure.