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PJM - Demand Response Update – March 1, 2010 ILR Registration Deadline

By Kevin Stafford, Market Manager, PJM & MISO, GDF SUEZ Energy Resources NA


March 1, 2010, marks the closing of the annual registration window for PJM’s Interruptible Load for Reliability (ILR) Demand Response program for the 2010/2011 Delivery Year.

Under the PJM Reliability Pricing Model (RPM) construct, Demand Side Resources have the ability to participate in the capacity procurement process – either as Demand Resources or as Interruptible Load for Reliability. Eligible ILR participants may register for Emergency (Capacity only) or Full Emergency programs, and/or the optional Economic demand response program.

Depending on the level of participation in the Emergency ILR programs, Load Resources would be eligible for compensation by PJM when reducing load during emergency events. Under the Economic ILR program, participants have the option to reduce consumption during periods of high Locational Marginal Prices (LMPs) and receive additional incentive payments.

Besides saving energy costs, these programs are also considered “sustainable energy” techniques and part of the developing “smart-grid” universe.

For the summer of 2010, PJM Capacity Costs have equalized across almost all utilities. Preliminary capacity values and ILR payments are $63,616/MW-year starting June 1, 2010. For energy users in most of the Mid-Atlantic utility areas, this is a relatively stable capacity cost and ILR payout value similar to prior years.

However, customers on the PJM grid in Illinois, Ohio, Virginia, Western Pennsylvania and some other areas will see this as dramatically higher capacity cost and ILR payout, as their capacity values have been in the $30,000/MW-year range for the past few years. The ILR capacity values are paid regardless of any actual event being called or not (provided the customer curtails per its commitment during the annual scheduled test).

For those seeing higher capacity costs in 2010 – as well as those for whom the costs are stable – ILR not only represents a means to offset capacity costs, but can also be seen as a hedge. There are a myriad of techniques and technologies that can be employed as curtailment strategies to participate in Demand Response programs. Many of those techniques require little investment other than careful planning, communications and execution during curtailment events.

Some examples of simple and usually inexpensive ways to reduce loads for short periods include:

● Reduced lighting levels
Higher air conditioning or refrigeration temperature set points
Turning off non-essential equipment
Shutting down or reducing elevators and escalators

These techniques are being employed today across many different types of facilities, including office, retail, education, manufacturing, hospitals and government. Many modern buildings have centralized control systems that can help automate these actions. Shutting down manufacturing processes or starting standby generators are also potential strategies, but come with other costs that must be considered.

To learn more about Demand Response in PJM and how partnering with GDF SUEZ in your energy management can benefit you, please go here.