CEO of Energy Curtailment Specialists, Inc. Elected to Two Year Term on NERC Planning Committee
BUFFALO, N.Y., Sept. 20 /PRNewswire/ — Glen Smith, president and chief executive officer of Energy Curtailment Specialists, Inc. (ECS) has been elected to a two year term on the Planning Committee of the North American Electric Reliability Council (NERC). NERC’s mission is to improve the reliability and security of the bulk power system in North America by developing and enforcing reliability standards, monitoring the bulk power system and assessing future adequacy.
Mr. Smith’s election to the Planning Committee is an important step towards having demand response considered an integral part of the reliability planning process across the country.
“It is an honor to be elected to the committee. I hope to bring a strong voice for the cause of demand response and its role in the assessment of reliability,” said Mr. Smith. “As electric grids experience more strain from an ever-increasing demand for electricity, there is now more openness to the simple concept of incentivizing large energy users to reduce their electric use when the grid is unstable or prices are high. The concept of demand response is proving to be something not merely on the wish list, but on the needs list of markets and utilities.”
ECS is the largest privately held demand response provider in the United States. During a grid emergency in the markets where they do business, ECS’ customers take several hundred megawatts offline, equivalent to the output of some of the larger nuclear power plants. These resources, which consist of large electricity users such as industrials, hotels, hospitals, schools, commercial properties, etc., respond when the grid conditions are tenuous due to an excessive spike in demand that cannot be matched by the available supply. The implementation of demand response resources helps to prevent brownouts, blackouts and, to some extent, extremely high energy prices during these situations.
Up until recent times, demand response resources were not considered as being on an even playing field with traditional supply sources, however, things are changing. FERC Commissioner Jon Wellinghoff, a big proponent of demand response, said, “Demand response is a necessary component of an efficient market for electricity. Without it, consumers will not realize the full benefits of a competitive electric system.”
Energy Curtailment Specialists, Inc. is the largest privately held demand response company in the United States, with a current focus in New York, California, New England, PJM and Kansas City. For more information, visit http://www.ecsdemandresponse.com/ or call 877-711-5453.
Contact: Tracey Penner Communications Specialist 877-711-5453 ext. 233 tpenner@ecsny.com
Available Topic Expert(s): For information on the listed expert(s), click appropriate link. Glen Smith http://profnet.prnewswire.com/Subscriber/ExpertProfile.aspx?ei=34707 Stephen Lynch http://profnet.prnewswire.com/Subscriber/ExpertProfile.aspx?ei=50120
Energy Curtailment Specialists, Inc.
CONTACT: Tracey Penner, Communications Specialist, Energy CurtailmentSpecialists, Inc., 1-877-711-5453 ext. 233, tpenner@ecsny.com
Web site: http://www.ecsdemandresponse.com/