Grid-Responsive Peak FLEXmarket​

Delivering Peak Reductions To Improve Grid-Reliability, Decrease GHGs, and Help Customers Lower Energy Costs

Peak Price Signal (click to enlarge)

MCE is pleased to announce the launch of the Peak FLEXmarket, a first-of-its-kind marketplace pilot program platform aimed at shifting energy use throughout our service area away from times of extreme demand.

The MCE Peak FLEXmarket Pilot Program will offer a flexible path for demand response providers and aggregators alike to address the pressing needs of MCE's energy demand during summer peak periods. The pilot program will take place between June 1, 2021 - September 30, 2021. Within this time period, the weekday 4 PM - 9 PM time range will be incentivized at $150 per MWh. In addition to the peak flexibility sought, there will be up to 12 days (60 hours) of ‘Resiliency Events’ paid out in the price range of $200-$800 per MWh, depending on the grid constraints and costs at the point in time.

The Peak FLEXmarket provides tools to measure hourly reductions in energy use that will allow MCE to compensate businesses working locally with our customers for energy savings during peak demand hours.
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The Peak FLEXmarket integrates a wide range of clean distributed energy resources, such as batteries, smart thermostats, or electric vehicle chargers. By offering a payment for energy reductions that values a range of resources equally, the Peak FLEXmarket ensures that incentives match the value of energy usage and that different solutions work together in a coordinated way.

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The FLEXmarket Platform from Recurve to provides MCE:

• Revenue Grade meter-based open-source savings for Advanced M&V 
• Settlement Quality transaction tracking via Recurve's Platform
• Data-driven engagement support​
  

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Aggregators that meet program requirements will be responsible for sourcing and delivering Energy Efficiency and Demand Flexibility projects, and paid on the avoided cost value metered performance using open-source population normalized metered energy consumption in MCE member communities.

MCE Service Area (click to enlarge)

How to Participate

Having signed a Flexibility Purchase Agreement (FPA) with Recurve is the first step towards participation in any FLEXmarket. For the Peak FLEXmarket, there are two documents that will need to be signed and agreed to:

Measurement & Verification Plan

1. An addendum to the FPA, adding language around peak periods.
2. The Measurement & Verification Plan for the Peak FLEXmarket.

If you'd like to sign up to participate, 
​please reach out to us.

How to Enroll Customers

Step 1. Enroll Project
Submit a list of projects through our Intake Form. The Intake Form requires you list 

1. The SAID for the meter
2. Primary flexibility strategy, measure or intervention
3. Other Demand Response programs that SAID is also enrolled in
4. Installation Date(s) for the project  - required for energy efficiency + flexibility projects

And thats it! We will then assess data sufficiency for each SAID and set baselines for Flexibility Performance. 

Step 2. Event Participation
Demand Response Providers who are signed up for Resiliency Event Alerts will receive notification and must respond by submitting a list of SAIDs through this FLEXmarket Portal. 

Resiliency Event responses from Demand Response Providers will assist in baseline calculation for grid-responsive actions taken. 

​Step 3. Monthly Alignment
After you have a list of projects enrolled, monthly alignments will be needed to inform MCE if you have responded to Resiliency Events and/or other Demand Response Program events for which you received an energy payment.
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While the Peak FLEXmarket is ideally suited to serve “new” customers - SAIDs that are not participating in CAISO market-integrated demand response - dual participation will be allowed so long as aggregators can meet minimum reporting requirements. The Peak FLEXmarket will not credit or pay for energy impacts on the same event/day that a SAID is paid or credited as part of an obligation or enrollment within another demand response program. For dually participating resources, the Peak FLEXmarket will require participating aggregators to submit a monthly summary of enrolled projects within MCE’s service area (list of SAIDs), DR Program events responded to (date), and the energy impacts awarded by that program (energy impacts waived in case of aggregated reporting). 

​This information will be used to settle payments and a study upon completion for the broad effects of savings on load forecasts, the program’s value proposition, resource adequacy, and other outcomes.​

Eligibility Requirements

To participate in the Peak FLEXmarket, MCE customers must meet the following criteria:

1. Project site must be located in the MCE service area
2. The coefficient of variation of the root-mean-squared error (CVRMSE) of the CalTRACK daily baseline model must be < 1.0 (Recurve will make this assessment as part of the measurement process) unless otherwise noted
3. Meet program specific data requirements​

Full Participants 

1. No project within last year
   1. Meet the CalTRACK hourly baseline data sufficiency requirements (minimum of 328 days of data within the most recent 365 day time frame) leading up to June 1, 2021 
2. Project within last year: 
   1. Meet the CalTRACK hourly baseline data sufficiency requirements (minimum of 328 days of data within the most recent 365 day time frame) leading up to the project start date
3. No installed solar at least 12 months prior to intervention

​Resiliency Event-Only Participants

1. Must have ongoing data collection for the duration of the program

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