BOSTON, MA – As the second wave of oppressive heat
in two weeks prompted all-time record power demand, ISO New England
(ISO-NE) called on EnerNOC to help avoid widespread power outages by
utilizing its automated demand response network.
EnerNOC has pioneered the development of a new kind of power plant,
called the Negawatt Network™, which – unlike traditional
power plants – consists of hundreds of large power users who
contract with EnerNOC to cut back their power consumption during periods
of extreme peak demand. With this week's soaring temperatures causing
record demand for power, this network of additional energy capacity was
tapped to address the extreme demands on the grid both Tuesday and Wednesday
in New England and New York, and again Thursday in New York and California.
"Peak demand levels on power grids across the country are
continuing to rise, and EnerNOC is proving that there is a solution to this
problem which doesn't require costly new power plants or transmission upgrades,"
said Tim Healy, CEO of EnerNOC. "Our mission is simple: harness existing,
distributed energy sources on the demand side of the equation without the costs,
environmental challenges, delays, and complexities of building new supply-side resources.
This week's events proved that alternative energy sources can deliver the
power needed to preserve the reliability and integrity of the grid."
Within 30 minutes of being notified by ISO-NE, EnerNOC dispatched a 200 megawatt (MW)
Negawatt Network in New England, while simultaneously supplying the New York Independent
System Operator (NYISO) critical peak capacity. The key to delivering this magnitude
of demand response in such a short interval is the investment EnerNOC has made in
state-of-the-art systems and procedures at its Network Operations Center (NOC). At
the NOC, EnerNOC continually monitors the state of power grids across the country
and notifies commercial, industrial, and institutional customers when demand response
events are anticipated. Once an event is called, EnerNOC implements automatic curtailment
and predefined processes to rapidly deliver the committed load reduction from customer sites.
One of the keys to EnerNOC's success is the participation of its hundreds
of customers who collectively delivered over 200 MW's of critical capacity in
New England Wednesday – enough capacity to power 200,000 homes.
One of EnerNOC's customers, Danbury (Conn.) Hospital, helped supply critical capacity
to the grid. "Maintaining the highest level of patient care and safety is our top
priority, and unplanned power outages are a serious concern," said Kevin Narus, plant
services manager of Danbury Hospital. "By participating in EnerNOC's program, we
receive 30-minute advance notification before potential blackouts or voltage drops on the
grid, allowing us to proactively switch to more reliable backup power and minimize the risk
of outages in the hospital. We also like the fact that we're doing our part to keep the
lights on in Southwest Connecticut."
During the last 4 weeks, EnerNOC has been called upon over a dozen times by system
operators from California to New York and New England. EnerNOC has set the gold standard
for performance in the industry throughout these events by consistently delivering over
100 percent of committed capacity obligations. This performance sets EnerNOC apart from
other Demand Response providers and gives system operators the confidence to depend on
EnerNOC's Negawatt Network when they need capacity the most.
About EnerNOC
EnerNOC, Inc. is the leading provider of technology-enabled demand response, price
response, and demand side management solutions to the commercial, institutional, and
industrial markets in the United States with more than 1,000 MW's of electrical capacity
under management, including more than 300 MW's of proven demand response resources. EnerNOC
delivers immediate, profitable results to customers by leveraging its deep experience in all
aspects of energy management, embedded systems technology, and progressive business practices.
For more information visit www.enernoc.com.
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