Summer heat in Beijing. Credit: timquijano
On August 12th, 2015, the Beijing Demand Response Pilot program went online for the first time, as peak load in Beijing reached 18,430 megawatts – a new record. The round of demand response reduced load by about 70 megawatts, helping to ease pressure on the grid.
High summer temperatures led to another record-breaking load on the following day, reaching 18,560 gigawatts. To relieve grid stress, the Beijing Development and Reform Commission (BDRC) and the Beijing Energy Conservation and Environmental Protection Center (BEEC) issued an order to mobilize load integrators to begin reducing load. In the end, load was reduced by about 66 megawatts.
CNESA was the first organization to be recognized as a load integrator in Beijing, so when the dispatch order was given, we helped users engage in demand response. This instance of demand response came through the city’s Demand-Side Comprehensive Management Service Platform, which announced the response action in advance. Our load integration platform received the order and confirmed receipt. This instance demonstrated the capability of CNESA’s demand response platform to seamlessly receive top-down orders, and then divide responsibility and delegate to users. The system also successfully collected data and conducted analysis on user performance.
CNESA is working with the BDRC and BEEC to further improve this pilot program and make the most of our platform. We will learn from the experience of other integrators and improve the platform’s functionality to provide a convenient experience for a growing number of users. We’re also actively exploring how to establish long-term demand response mechanisms so that we can do our part in improving demand response in Beijing.
User demand curve shown on CNESA demand response platform interface