2016 PLMA Member Resources Directory

December 2016

FERC Assessment of Demand Response and Advanced Metering

This report is the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission staff’s eleventh annual report on demand response and advanced metering required by section 1252(e)(3) of Energy Policy Act of 2005 (EPAct 2005). It is based on publicly-available information and discussions with market participants and industry experts. Based on the information reviewed, it appears that:

Deployment of advanced meters continues to increase throughout the country, and advanced meters are the predominant metering technology installed and operational throughout the United States;
In the organized wholesale markets, the contribution of potential peak reduction to meeting peak demand increased to 6.6 percent in 2015 from 6.2 percent in 2014;
The North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) has developed and approved four new metrics for assessing demand response, and intends to continue its efforts to improve demand response data collection to provide information on how demand response contributes to reliability;
The North American Energy Standards Board (NAESB) developed and ratified voluntary business standards that facilitate the ability of advanced meters and other utility and third-party grid devices to communicate directly with each other and exchange information; and
On January 25, 2016, the U.S. Supreme Court issued its decision in FERC v. Electric Power Supply Association, upholding the Commission’s authority under the Federal Power Act to adopt Order No. 745.

Source: Federal Energy Regulatory Commission report authored by a FERC Staff Team led by Michael P. Lee
Type: Report

NARUC's Distributed Energy Resources Rate Design and Compensation Manual

On November 10, 2016, NARUC released the final Distributed Energy Resources Rate Design and Compensation manual (details at www.naruc.org/rate-design/) . This manual provides commissions with information related to how DER affects rate design, a background on DER, rate design and compensation options, and an outline of how to consider DER going forward. The manual does not provide commissions with answers to these questions, but provides information to help commissions navigate this new and ever-changing landscape. This Dialogue provides an overview of the manual itself, what it is designed to accomplish, how it can be used, and what’s next.

Source: PLMA DR Dialogue featuring Chris Villarreal, Minnesota Public Utilities Commission, and John Powers, Extensible Energy
Type: Webinar recording

November 2016

34th PLMA Conference, Delray Beach, Florida

Real-world insight from practitioners and energy utilities active in the demand response marketplace. Over 200 demand response industry professionals attended from energy utilities and government agencies as well as industry allies, including consultants, manufacturers, and service providers.

Source: PLMA
Type: Conference Proceedings with Photo gallery

October 2016

Pacific Gas & Electric's Award-Winning Initiative

Duke Energy Florida's Award-Winning Initiative

Learn why Pacific Gas and Electric Company's Smart AC Program was recognized as a Program Pacesetter in the 13th PLMA Awards. This program has over 150,000 customers with one-way paging load control devices that provide peak period load reduction of approximately 80-100 MW. When PG&E’s team set out to explore two-way load control switches and communication systems they discovered that the type of information available and the frequency of the information from these solutions were not adequate to mitigate identified operational risks, and effectively manage their program. PG&E lead a consortium of utility reps and worked with vendors who collaborated to reconfigure their products. The result is an increase in benefits for using Smart Grid-based, two-way load control switches. As other utilities across the country look to upgrade their one-way load control systems to two-way, they will benefit in the groundwork PG&E has done.

Source: PLMA DR Dialogue featuring Wendy Brummer, Pacific Gas & Electric Company; Carlos Bravo, Silver Spring Networks; and Ray Pustinger, AESC
Type: Webinar recording

September 2016

Austin Energy's Award-Winning Initiative

Discover why Austin Energy was recognized in the 13th PLMA Awards as a technology pioneer for its comprehensive approach to evolving its legacy DR initiatives. Austin Energy was one of the first to successfully harness the BYOT (Bring Your Own Thermostat) concept. It did so by partnering with technology manufacturers, and actively promoting the utilization of open standards and protocols to effectively integrate the BYOT participants into their residential DR program. The utility enhanced its legacy C&I DR programs utilizing a similar strategy that incorporates open protocols and EPRI’s Demand Response Automation System in its C&I AutoDR program. An example of the results are that one building that historically was able to reduce load by about 25 KW per event has increased its load shedding to over 100 KW with Auto DR.

Source: PLMA DR Dialogue featuring Scott Jarman, Austin Energy; and Paul Miles, PECO, an Exelon Company
Type: Webinar recording

CPS Energy's Award-Winning Initiative

Discover why CPS Energy was recognized as a thought leader in the 13th PLMA Awards for its My Thermostat Rewards Holiday Splash. The project was a Black Friday holiday promotional campaign partnered with retail & thermostat partners and social media, to combine Black Friday Specials and Holidays offers with a healthy Bring-Your-Own-Thermostat rebate. The result was 1,745 new enrollments in which was a 1.5 to 2 times lift at retail, 6 times improvement in year-over-year enrollment, a program growth of 40% during the 6-week push. This well timed and attention-grabbing campaign during the Holiday season has great potential for “leveraging” by other utilities have struggled to raise awareness of Bring-Your-Own-Thermostat program offerings.

Source: PLMA DR Dialogue featuring Justin Chamberlain, CPS Energy; Jeffrey Hamel, Nest Labs; and Brian Solsbee, Tennessee Valley Authority
Type: Webinar recording

Defining Demand Response's Evolution

Join this discussion among the architects of PLMA's Demand Response Training Series as they articulate a definition for the evolution of demand response as detailed in the draft Paper at www.peakload.org/DefiningEvolutionDR.

Their definition will be used across the three demand response training courses produced by PLMA in mid-September in St. Louis. But you are invited to add editorial comments to help define an ideal industry vision for the fully-evolved state of demand response and identify the 10 most significant initiatives in the evolution of demand response.

Source: PLMA DR Dialogue featuring Michael Brown, NV Energy; Scott Coe; Ross Malme, Skipping Stone; and Stuart Schare with Greg Wikler, Navigant
Type: Webinar recording

August 2016

National Grid's Award-Winning Initiative

Discover why National Grid was recognized as a technology pioneer in the 13th PLMA Awards. Discover the utility's comprehensive combination of technologies and strategies to achieve demand response through both dynamic prices and direct load control as well as behavioral energy efficiency through web applications and in-home displays. National Grid's Smart Energy Solutions program provides customers smart thermostats, load control devices, web apps, and in-home displays to deliver real-time energy use and compelling messages alongside personal photographs. With CEIVA Energy's software, the utility can segment customers, monitor and control a range of smart energy technologies, enable the smart meter home area network, and access full reporting and analytics. The result is a seamless end-to-end solution for the utility and its customers that integrates a range of technology providers, including Itron, Cisco, GE, Simple Energy, Verizon, and Carrier.

Source: PLMA DR Dialogue featuring Elisabeth Morgera, National Grid; Wannie Park, CEIVA Energy; Ray Pustinger, AESC
Type: Webinar recording

Duke Energy Florida's Award-Winning Initiative

Learn why the Duke Energy Florida's EnergyWise Home Program was recognized as a Program Pacesetter in the 13th PLMA Awards. With 418,000 participating customers and 550,000 Direct Load Control switches installed, this 653 MW load management program allows customers to reduce their energy use when demand is high by participating with their centrally-ducted heating and cooling systems, electric water heaters and pool pumps, in exchange for monthly bill credits. In 2015, the utility began transitioning from an internally developed application and legacy one-way paging infrastructure, to Comverge's IntelliSOURCE Demand Response Management System and two-way Wi-Fi and cellular DLC switches. The new platform includes variable and geographic load control, real-time asset and inventory management, and paperless, IPad-based work order management system. The utility has developed a way to more effectively and more frequently utilize resources for short-term energy demands, controlling water heaters more than 140 times per year, on average. This is an industry-leading example of continued applied technology innovation.

Source: PLMA DR Dialogue featuring Thomas Artau, Duke Energy; and Jason Cigarran, Comverge
Type: Webinar recording

AESP, PLMA & SEPA Survey of Utilities and NARUC Members on Demand Response

In late 2015 and early 2016, the three leading associations serving the Demand Response industry – AESP, PLMA and SEPA – partnered to conduct a survey of utilities across the nation and NARUC members to take a pulse on the state of DR. Join us to learn about the utilities’ perspective on market impacts; technology anticipated and currently deployed; challenges to integrating energy efficiency and demand response; regulators’ perspectives on Dynamic Pricing; and the role of advocacy for DR. Findings we will share in this presentation include:

If utilities anticipate changes to their business model to encourage more DR
If utilities expect BYOD to become a major DR program channel
If regulators will require DR as an element of compliance plans with the CPP
What barrier to dynamic pricing programs regulators view as the greatest risk to rate payers
How utilities and regulators view the role of dynamic pricing in the next five years

Source: Joint AESP/PLMA/SEPA Initiative featuring Brett Feldman, Navigant Research; Sharon Mullen Navigant; Elody Samuelson, Consumers Energy
Type: Webinar recording

The Community Storage Initiative 2016 Leadership Forum:
When the Smart Grid Meets Grid-Interactive Storage! Grid-Responsive Becomes Grid-Interactive & Load Management Becomes ‘Community Storage’!

In recent months, it has become increasingly apparent that overall interest in energy storage is rapidly accelerating. From the introduction of the Tesla ‘Powerwall’ to a recent RMI Report entitled “The Economics of Demand Flexibility”, there is an emerging consensus that the country needs a wide variety of dynamic energy storage resources. At the same time, the Community Solar business model has experienced growing acceptance by the electric utility industry as a valid renewable production strategy. These realizations have led directly to the recent announcement that NRECA, NRDC, EEI, APPA and PLMA have launched a coordinated market development effort entitled ‘The Community Storage Initiative’. Following the recent release of The Brattle Group research, “The Hidden Battery” (sponsored by NRECA, NRDC and PLMA), The Community Storage Initiative is an inclusive national market development collaborative that has garnered the support of the electric utility industry, the environmental community, the renewable energy industry and the public policy community.

Source: Community Storage Initiative
Type: Conference proceedings

June 2016

What is ‘Community Storage’ and Why Should I Care?

Interactive discussion of the definition and market potential of ‘Community Storage’. In recent months, it has become increasingly apparent that overall interest in energy storage is rapidly accelerating. From the introduction of the Tesla ‘Powerwall’ to a recent RMI Report entitled “The Economics of Demand Flexibility”, there is an emerging consensus that the country needs a wide variety of dynamic energy storage resources. At the same time, the Community Solar business model has experienced growing acceptance by the electric utility industry as a valid renewable production strategy. These realizations have led directly to the recent announcement that NRECA, NRDC, EEI, APPA and PLMA have launched a coordinated market development effort entitled ‘The Community Storage Initiative’. Following the recent release of The Brattle Group research, “The Hidden Battery” (sponsored by NRECA, NRDC and PLMA), The Community Storage Initiative has emerged as an inclusive national market development collaborative that has garnered the support of the electric utility industry, the environmental community, the renewable energy industry and the public policy community.

Source: PLMA DR Dialogue featuring Robin Roy, NRDC; Alex Hofmann, APPA; Keith Dennis, NRECA, and Steve Rosenstock, EEI, Moderated by Steve Koep, Vaughn Thermal and PLMA Behind-the-Meter Storage Interest Group Co-Chair
Type: Webinar recording

May 2016

Understanding the Storage and Demand Response Relationship

Discussion to delve into the technology and operations opportunities that come from forming a relationship between energy storage and demand response programs. Learn the highlights and lowlights of grid-scale storage projects, community solar initiatives, and the go-to-market strategy that can make them useful in your Demand Response and Demand Management program. The conversation will begin with brief presentations from these industry thought leaders:

Source: PLMA Women in DR Update featuring Elise Hunter, Pacific Gas and Electric Company; Anissa Dehamna, Navigant Research; and Elizabeth Reid, Olivine; and moderated by Gwen Resendes, Bonneville Power Administration and Women in DR Interest Group Co-chair
Type: Webinar recording

April 2016

PLMA Recognizes Leading Energy Utility Demand Response Initiatives

PLMA (Peak Load Management Alliance) announced eight winners of its 13th Annual PLMA Awards. The Awards were presented during the 17th PLMA Spring Conference in San Francisco, California. Those recognized as the best demand response programs, initiatives and achievements from calendar year 2015 are...

Source: PLMA Award Program
Type: News Announcement

17^th PLMA Spring Conference, San Francisco, California

Real-world insight from practitioners and energy utilities active in the demand response marketplace. Over 150 demand response industry professionals are expected to attend from energy utilities and government agencies as well as industry allies, including consultants, manufacturers, and service providers.

Source: PLMA
Type: Conference Proceedings with Photo gallery