As part of Pursuit Energy's Peak Response Program, we monitor the Annual System Peak and advise clients on when would be advantageous to shut down to reduce their capacity costs. For more information on capacity, please view our previous blog post here.
The highest demand for the summer had been on July 9th from 5-6 p.m. est and reached a value of 22,231 MW. On Monday, July 20th, we surpassed that peak with an average demand of 23,870 MW from 5-6 p.m giving us a new leader in the clubhouse for the remainder of the summer. The graph below shows the actual demand (in Orange) and the projected demand from ISO-NE (in Blue).
As you can see from the first picture, we didn't reach the projected peak of 24,500 MW, and I believe that voluntary curtailment had a lot to do with it. In the second picture, I've highlighted the reduction in demand that occurred slightly before, and right after the 4:00 p.m. hour started. When you consider on the top graph that we didn't have a single reduction in demand from 4:00 a.m. through just before 4:00 p.m., the only explanation is that there was a significant amount of curtailment that occurred.
A peak of 23,870 MW would be the 2nd lowest peak in the past 20 years, but the peak demands have been much lower in the past 4 years. We peaked at 23,507 MW in 2017 and 23,900 MW in 2019. When you consider the overall reduction in demand due to COVID-19, the 23,870 MW peak number feels like it is going to be hard to beat.
If you have any questions about Capacity in general or how a Peak Response Program could help reduce your electricity supply costs please feel free to reach out.
About Pursuit Energy
Pursuit Energy Solutions is a full-service Electricity and Natural Gas consulting firm that assists Commercial, Industrial, and Municipal customers to navigate New England’s complex deregulated energy markets. Pursuit works with customers to develop customized, long term purchasing solutions that fit within the client’s risk tolerance and budgetary needs.