Buildings in the L.A. basin should prepare for a particularly hot summer, considering a warning from the LADWP, CPUC, California Energy Commission, and CAISO about the possibility of blackouts on up to 14 days. The four energy agencies released an action plan earlier this month that addresses the Aliso Canyon well failure (which is now down to less than 1/5 of total capacity at 15 billion cubic feet). The drop in gas stored across Aliso’s 114 wells is causing a major supply shortage for the region’s 17 gas-fueled power plants, and these plants play critical roles in responding to the grid’s peak demand spikes on hot summer days.
The action plan identifies three main mitigation measures:
- Using the current supply of 15 billion cubic feet stored in Aliso Canyon during periods of peak demand to avoid electrical interruptions
- Directing all shippers to closely match their scheduled gas deliveries with their actual demand every day, and
- Asking customers to use less energy.
Other measures include tariff changes, better operational coordination across the grid, and increased flexibility in LADWP’s operations.
Utilities are no strangers to demand side management (DSM), and data-driven technology is the most effective way of asking customers to use less energy on grid-critical peak demand days. For the building ops nerds reading this, you might be surprised by our exploration into whether or not your building and the grid share peak demand days. Much of the action plan’s DSM strategies center on expanding demand response, including the consideration of a custom DR auction for buildings in the affected area.
If you are interested in peak demand management, consider launching a free trial of Gridium’s smart meter data analytics. Our software connects to the building’s utility-installed smart meter interval data without any hardware or software installed on site, and our peak demand forecasts have been rated highest in accuracy and precision.
