Utilities have long relied on demand response programs to incentivize customers to reduce their energy usage during times of high demand.
In the past, utilities focused demand response programs almost exclusively on commercial and industrial customers who could reduce their large electricity usage when peak demand threatened grid reliability.
Today, utilities and regulators are increasingly emphasizing electric vehicles (EVs) and other distributed energy resources (DERs) in their demand response programs. For example, the California Public Utilities Commission recently approved changes to the state’s Emergency Load Reduction Program, a demand response initiative aimed at avoiding rolling blackouts[1].
