Report Calls Upon Discoms To Put In Place Consumer Centric DR Strategy

Alliance for an Energy-Efficient Economy (AEEE) and AutoGrid released on June 2 a report highlighting the wide range of possibilities offered by Demand Response (DR) that can effectively help electricity distribution companies (DISCOMs) handle their increasing future electricity demand while still operating reliably towards a greener grid. Titled Roadmap for Demand Flexibility in India, the report further states that the DISCOMs should carve out the ideal consumer centric DR strategy, comprising a portfolio of customizable options. The report has a strong case for itself based on the projections for share of renewables in the grid, expected to go upto 50% by 2030.

According to the report, the scalable DR programmes can become successful if they are designed to create win-win situations for both consumers and DISCOMs. Leveraging the energy data collected by smart meters to segment the consumers and identify potential target consumers is a useful tactic. Initial interventions can be facilitated by the use of Behavioural DR measures which can be further scaled to include more advanced automation options like Flexible DR.

Over the past 5 years, a 50% increase in households with ACs has added significant new cooling load to already increasing peak demand. This growth however can be turned into an effective resource by DISCOMs though intelligent load control with built in DR and Wi-Fi enabled plug-ins as part of a Virtual Power Plant programme.

Demand flexibility through effective DR programmes provide the pathway to consumer participation in mechanisms for grid support services. Today, behavioural DR programmes constitute the bulk of that potential and are easy to tap into because of the relatively lower running costs. Subsequently, with the rise of controllable loads and smart appliances, advanced Auto-DR, called Flexible DR (Flex-DR), should be explored. Flexible demand can go a long way in ensuring the supply-demand equilibrium in grid operation with variable supply and increasing demand.

Additionally, well designed, strategic DR initiatives will lead to higher energy efficiency directly contributing to consumer savings and meeting the target of net zero emissions set during the COP26 summit.

Speaking during the launch, Dr. Satish Kumar, President, and Executive Director, AEEE, said, “Given the increasing electricity demand in India, it is imperative that Demand Response is brought to the mainstream by the regulators, system operators and DISCOMs to effectively manage demand. It is absolutely critical to focus on flexible demand as a balancing resource and need to be included in Integrated Resource Planning process and by enabling performance based regulations.”