ISO-New England details summer power usage forecast

Extended high temps could shatter all-time peak demand in state

New England’s regional electrical grid operator is predicting it will have sufficient power supplies to meet customer demand this summer.

ISO-New England officials say that when temperatures hit 90 degrees this summer, demand for electricity is expected to peak at 25,729 megawatts in the region. And if temperatures rise to 94 degrees for an extended period of time, demand for power could spike to 28,120 megawatts, just slightly less than the all-time record for peak demand, which was 28,130 megawatts on Aug. 2, 2006, according to officials with the Holyoke, Mass.-based grid operator.

The peak power demand last summer came on June 13, when 23,968 megawatts were needed. ISO-NE officials say they expect to have more than 32,000 megawatts of capacity at their disposal to meet New England consumer demand for electricity.

The ISO-NE forecasts include demand-reducing efforts of about 2,700 megawatts made available through energy efficiency measures, according to Marcia Blomberg, a spokeswoman for the grid operator. In addition, the forecast also takes into account more than 600 megawatts of solar energy being generated by photovolatic panels on the roofs of homes and businesses around the region, Blomberg said.

The region’s summer power supply will benefit from new electric generation capacity of 1,630 megawatts. That includes a pair of power plants that run on natural gas.

In addition, five new grid-scale solar facilities are expected to add a maximum generation capability of about 90 megawatts. Two new wind farms will add

about 50 megawatts of maximum generation capability, according to ISO-NE officials.

ISO-NE has a series of procedures it implements during periods when the margin between the amount of electricity sought by customers closes in on the generation capacity available at any given time.

Two major efforts at boosting that capability will be put in place on June 1, according to officials with the grid operator.

One is the full integration of demand response resources into the daily dispatch capabilities that ISO-NE has.

Demand response involves the compensation of large electric customers for reducing their usage during periods of peak demand, and ISO-NE will become the first grid operator in the United State to fully integrate into its daily operations.

ISO-NE officials estimate about 408 megawatts of demand response will be available to participate in the daily energy market.

Because demand-response resources will be able to participate in real time in the energy markets, they will no longer be considered an emergency resource to be dispatched in shortage conditions.

The other effort to boost the operation of the regional electric grid during peak demand periods involves pay-for-performance incentives.

The incentives will reward power generators that perform more effectively during power shortage periods. The money for those financial incentives will come from power generators that perform less effectively during shortage conditions.