Firm Service Level or Guaranteed Load Drop – Which One is Best for You?
Enrollment for the EventConnect ILR capacity program in the PJM/Mid-Atlantic region is now open. Unlike other regional demand response programs, the EventConnect ILR program offers a choice of two methods to quantify load drop. Customers may elect to reduce to a Firm Service Level (FSL) or provide a Guaranteed Load Drop (GLD). What differentiates the two and which is the best option for your organization?
Firm Service Level (FSL) is optimal when an organization can focus on the total electricity consumption during an emergency “event”. The FSL commitment is a total consumption target and the goal is to reduce consumption to that level or lower.
• FSL is the level a client’s load cannot exceed during an event (drop to).
Guaranteed Load Drop (GLD) works best when a customer can focus on a megawatt (MW) amount to reduce. The GLD is a reduction from whatever the consumption level was on a similar day and time as the emergency event. Organizations often elect GLD when they can turn on a backup generator or reduce a process with consistent or predictable load.
• GLD is the amount of load an organization will drop during an event (drop by).
Situations where one may be clearly preferred over the other:
FSL is preferred when:
• Customer has control of operations and an understanding of a comfortable level they can drop to if needed
• A process automation system can be programmed to reduce load to a predictable level and hold to that level for a time without causing inconvenience
• A back-up generator is not available and other methods to reduce load are variable or not easily quantified (HVAC, lighting, operations, etc.)
GLD is preferred when:
• The reliable reduction method is to turn on backup generation
• A process or set of equipment can be turned off to produce a predictable load shed
• The organization has experienced significant load growth since the last summer. Since the FSL is based on peak demand from the previous summer, the FSL method would require extra effort to achieve last year’s levels and further reduce to the target
EnergyConnect is available to help you make the GLD vs. FSL decision, customize your curtailment plans, handle all the registration paperwork, and administer the program for you. We make participation easy. Contact your local EnergyConnect representative for assistance and to get enrolled for the 2010 season.
Posted on Monday, December 7th, 2009 - BlogConnect