Dive Brief:
Growing numbers of utilities will soon see electricity demand peak during the coldest winter months, highlighting the need for customer-side technologies and energy efficiency to keep the grid stable, according to new research from the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE).
Electrification, including space heating, water heating and electric vehicle (EV) charging, could double or triple winter utility loads, according to ACEEE. A combination of aggressive demand-side management (DSM) resources, however, could help to slash peak loads by more than a third in some areas.
Duke Energy could find up to 1,400 MW of targeted winter DSM in its North Carolina and South Carolina territories, according to a study by Tierra Resource Consultants. It is a significant resource we can bring to bear, but it is clearly nascent, firm principal Tom Hines said during a recent discussion of ACEEE s conclusions.