Alberta utility will 'dial down' demand when grid stress is high

Canada’s Alberta Electric System Operator (AESO) plans to use EnerNOC’s DemandSMART application to implement 150 megawatts (MW) of automated demand response.

The program will allow participating industries to automatically reduce their electricity consumption when the grid is stressed, and earn payments for doing so.

By using DemandSMART in AESO’s Load Shed Service for Imports Program, EnerNOC expects to increase the transfer capability of the Alberta-British Columbia intertie. That will allow the AESO to import more electricity from other jurisdictions to ensure reliable, cost-effective energy services to customers.

EnerNOC will deploy its automated demand response technology at industrial sites. If system frequency drops below a pre-defined threshold due to conditions along the Alberta-BC intertie or elsewhere, DemandSMART will detect the change and respond by automatically reducing electricity consumption at participating sites in less than a second.

Participants in the program will earn regular payments for their availability and response to dispatches, as well as access to real-time energy use data through DemandSMART.

“EnerNOC’s technicians and network operations center staff are very familiar with managing energy in industrial settings, even in programs that require a very quick response,” said Kelly Lorincz, Canada director at EnerNOC. “We will be working closely with some of the province’s leading energy users to ensure that they can provide maximum value, both to the grid and their businesses, by participating in demand response.”