It was an unusual summer in New England. The region set records for highest-monthly-low temperatures (overnight lows were unusually high) but did not experience any sustained heat waves (daytime highs were unusually moderate). As a result, peak electric demand on the grid struggled to get above the 22,300 MW demand level set early in the summer on July 6th. For context, the lowest hour of annual peak demand over the previous 7 years is 23,500 MW in 2017 and the average annual peak demand over this period is about 24,500 MW.
Hot weather finally arrived in New England as the summer was ending. Just after Labor Day the regional electric grid set new year-to-date peaks on Wednesday September 6 and again on Thursday September 7. CES issued four alerts that week to clients enrolled in our CES Self-Help Demand response program culminating with a strong recommendation that participants plan on “reducing loads starting at 4 pm and lasting until 8 pm today, Thursday September 7 with maximum attention on the 5 pm to 7 pm window.”
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Photo by: Oleksandr Akulenko
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