BPL Global, Ltd. will contribute to a Participating Load project for Southern California Edison. SCE will use BPLG's Power SG Demand Management solution to monitor and assess the feasibility of using the Demand Response of aggregated residential air conditioning load to serve as electric power reserves bid into the wholesale electricity market. This aggregated Demand Response, with voluntary short duration curtailment for each air conditioner, could potentially avoid triggering additional generation to balance electricity supply and demand.
"Effectively managing peak electrical demand instead of increasing supply is a key strategy for managing the grid as we apply new Smart Grid technology," said, California ISO Demand Response Lead John Goodin. "Managing demand through advanced technologies is a greener and potentially more affordable way to provide reliable electric service.
SCE operates one of the largest demand response programs involving residential and commercial air conditioning in the world. SCE has enrolled 330,000 customers in this optional program that allows the company to cycle air conditioner compressors in case of grid emergencies. With this project, SCE is exploring whether electricity used for residential air conditioning can be managed to provide electric power reserves by enabling localized reduction in load within minutes with minimal customer impact.
"We are excited about the possible benefits to our customers and the environment that this project represents,' said Larry Oliva, Director of SCE Tariff Programs & Services. "Using new technology to refine our partnership with residential customers participating in the voluntary air conditioning cycling program is a key attribute to advancing our leadership in demand response programs."
BPLG's Power SG Demand Management software solution is a key component that will provide the real-time verification necessary to assess SCE's ability to manage residential load as electric power reserves. It monitors the actual load of selected residential air conditioners in near real-time. Centralized system control enables monitoring each load according to its attributes for use as electric power reserves. Power SG monitors and validates actual ramp-up, shed and ramp-down of each individual load. This information can be reported for a single air conditioner or in aggregate. With Power SG, utilities gain predictability and dependability for managed loads as reserve assets
