Electrification is a key strategy to eliminating carbon emissions, but it also means utilities will need to add generation and address shifting load profiles. The collapse of the Texas grid, when faced with a historic cold snap, highlights the importance of the issue, according to ACEEE Utilities Program Manager Mike Specian.
Most utilities in the United States currently see peak demand in summer, to address cooling loads, but, Specian said that will change. Some utilities already face winter peaks, particularly in the Northwest but also in the upper Midwest, Vermont and parts of the Southeast, he said.
