In a guest column published by ENERGYBIZ, Stoel Rives partner Jon Wellinghoff discusses the benefits of demand response. Describing it as the “killer app” for a smart grid, Wellinghoff outlines how demand response can alert consumers and pay them to reduce energy use at times of high stress on the electric grid.
When demand response is structured correctly in the market, Wellinghoff argues, consumers benefit by being active participants on the grid. By making the consumer the primary focus, demand response can transform the grid and electric utilities, along with energy efficiency, solar power, energy storage and electric vehicles.
Wellinghoff concludes that energy users large and small should insist that utility regulators and energy policymakers ensure that options to participate in demand response are available to all consumers. Doing so, he argues, will ensure that the nation’s energy grid performs at maximum efficiency and with "winning results" for everyone.
“The Beauty of Demand Response” was published by ENERGYBIZ, May/June 2014. (Subscription required.)