I had absolutely no idea what demand response was before this assignment, so it took some time to ween through lots of information to find something valuable to use in my blog.

Finding something interesting was the real challenge… that I did not overcome.

 

Demand response allows us to reduce energy consumption during peak hours of the day.

When we flip a switch we expect the electricity to be there, but how does it get there? That is the work of the grid, a web of high voltage transmission lines.

When you turn on a light, electricity travels in an instant to your home and the bulb glows — that’s called demand.

Demand Response comes in three forms – emergency demand response, economic demand response and ancillary services demand.

1. Emergency demand response is employed to avoid involuntary service interruptions during times of supply scarcity.

2.Economic demand response is employed to allow electricity customers to curtail their consumption when the productive or convenience of consuming that electricity is worth less to them than paying for the electricity.

3. Ancillary services demand response consists of a number of specialty services that are needed to ensure the secure operation of the transmission grid and which have traditionally been provided by generators.

Demand response is what protects a city of neglectful consumers from blacking out and is generally used to refer to mechanisms used to encourage consumers to reduce demand.

BUT WHY WOULD BIG BUSINESSES BUY INTO THIS?!

Well…

Corporations that participate in demand response programs can receive cheaper electricity rates, or rebates at the end of the year.

I guess a little incentive can make anyone eco-friendly.

 

 

 

 

 

Resources:

http://science.howstuffworks.com/environmental/green-science/demand-response.htm

http://www.pge.com/demandresponse/

www.eia.gov