Date: May 2024

California has identified dynamic retail price-response as a major load management strategy to decarbonize and improve reliability of the grid. The CEC-funded $16M CalFlexHub program demonstrates many price-responsive flexible load technology solutions for buildings and EV charging. These solutions can be categorized into four unique communication-and-control pathways each involves different roles of DER device manufacturers, third-party aggregators, and others. The underlying business models may have profound implications of the cost, user experience, and continuity of the solutions for consumers. Therefore, it is critical to understand those from a deployment strategy standpoint. We proposed evaluation criteria based on CalFlexHub and SCE’s field demonstration projects. This work will inform future utility load management program design and policy-making to facilitate market transformation. The evaluation criteria will support key principles such as increasing customer choice, enabling customer energy opportunities and information, enabling third parties, openness and transparency, and allowing dual participation.

Speakers:
Jingjing Liu, LBNL
Denver Hinds, SMUD