The US state of Texas could save billions of dollars by utilising demand flexibility – the ability of electric loads to feed back into the grid – to provide spare power. In a new study published in Nature Energy, researchers from the University of California, Berkeley, and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) have found that if electricity prices were set at market levels, it would be possible Starting from forecasts of high growth in solar and wind power in the state, the study then added demand flexibility assets, which would save $1.5bn per year in annualised generator and transmission and distribution capital costs.
The US state of Texas could save billions of dollars by utilising demand flexibility – the ability of electric loads to feed back into the grid – to provide spare power. A report by the Rocky Mountain Institute, modelled on the Texas transmission power grid, predicts that investment in the area would result in reduced curtailment, flattened peaks, and fewer gas-fired power plants. Starting from forecasts of high growth in solar and wind power in the state, the study then added demand flexibility assets, which would save $1.5bn per year in annualised generator and transmission and distribution capital costs.