Nearly 200 stakeholders participated in PJM Interconnection’s third demand response symposium on November 9-10, 2009 outside of Baltimore. The symposium focused on integrating price responsive demand into wholesale and retail markets.
Under price responsive demand, consumers’ retail electricity rates reflect wholesale market electricity prices. Without participating in the wholesale markets, consumers can reduce their electricity bills by reducing their consumption when wholesale prices are high. Price responsive demand provides an option to lower electricity bills rather than to receive payments through existing demand response programs. The reductions in use benefit system reliability, can reduce capacity requirements and may help lower electricity prices in the wholesale market.
Symposium participants included state regulatory commissioners, demand response providers, electric utilities, power marketers, consumer advocates, staff members of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, other government officials, consultants and equipment vendors.
Participants heard reports on existing research about advanced metering and dynamic pricing - retail rates that vary depending on wholesale prices or system conditions. Panelists from Pepco, Baltimore Gas & Electric Co. and Commonwealth Edison discussed their experiences with advanced metering infrastructure pilots. These smart meters can record the time that electricity is used and signal real-time prices to consumers.
A group of speakers from PJM talked about the implications of price responsive demand on the Reliability Pricing Model capacity market, scarcity pricing, market operations and system planning.
A panel of regulators from Ohio, Maryland and Illinois and the consumer advocate from Indiana provided their perspectives on the questions, challenges and value of implementing price responsive demand in their states.
Another panel spotlighted two current projects: the BOMA project in Chicago, Illinois and the Plug-In Electric Vehicle study being conducted by the Energy Systems Network.
In addition, symposium attendees also gathered in small groups to discuss and make suggestions on implementing price responsive demand. Their work will be published in the proceedings of the symposium and will inform the development of the Demand Response Roadmap.
Symposium presentations can be found with the November 9, 2009 meeting materials below.
Advisory Group
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Meeting Dates |
 11.09.2009 - Demand Response Symposium III
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