Demand Response are programs that are being proposed that will reduce energy use. As we know, the energy and power stations sector are the leading emitters of greenhouse gasses annually contributing greatly to global warming. Therefore, in theory reducing energy use would be ideal in working toward reducing our gas emissions and “solving” global warming.
With this being said, I feel like these programs will not be enough to make any significant impact in the short term. Seeing that we live in a society where we like fast results, rewards, and instant gratification I don’t think many people will volunteer to participate in Demand Response programs. And, even if they do catch on I feel as if they will be a short lived trend.
The reason I say this is because, the reward to the people willing to participate could be veiwed as insignificant. The Energy Collective proposes that participants willing to participate would receive between $25 and $50 in compensation. For most Americans this is too little of a reward to ultimately put up with having your AC turned off during the hottest summer days. Additionally, as I mentioned it is hard for people to look into the future and see what the long term benefits would be, we like to live in the present.
Lastly, I think the Demand Response program will be hard to implement on a voluntary basis. The reason I believe this is because many will have the thought that one person doing the “right” thing and using less power will not save our planet and in actuality this is true. The truth is, there needs to be a collective effort made by all individuals just as we see from our readings, that it needs to be a collective effort to improve sustainability from entire nations who are the leading green house gas emitters; not just one nation or not just a handful of people!
References:
http://science.howstuffworks.com/environmental/green-science/demand-response.htm
http://www.pge.com/mybusiness/energysavingsrebates/demandresponse/whatisdemandresponse/