Demand Response (DR) gives consumers an opportunity to play a significant role in the operation of the electric grid by reducing or shifting their electricity usage during peak periods in response to time-based rates or other forms of financial incentives. Demand response programs are being used by some electric system planners and operators as resource options for balancing supply and demand. These programs can lower the cost of electricity in wholesale markets and, in turn, lead to lower retail rates. Methods of engaging customers in demand response efforts include offering time-based rates such as time-of-use pricing, critical peak pricing, variable peak pricing, real-time pricing, and critical peak rebates. It also includes direct load control programs, which provide the opportunity for power companies to cycle air conditioners and water heaters on and off during periods of peak demand in exchange for a financial incentive and lower electric bills.
The 2026/27 PJM RPM Base Residual Auction is scheduled for early December. Ethan Howland reports in today’s Utility Dive that according to Morgan Stanley and ESAI Power’s Scott Niemann, PJM capacity auction prices could plausibly clear at the price cap. Whilst clearing at the cap is a “very plausible” outcome, there are scenarios where pricing clears at “substantially” lower prices.
ESAI Power LLC
401 Edgewater Place, Suite 640
Wakefield, MA 01880
Phone: +1.781.245.2036
ESAI Power is a market research and consulting firm that delivers focused analysis of the wholesale power markets in the Northeast region of the US: PJM, NYISO, and ISO-NE. Since 2001, ESAI has been providing market-focused research product content and custom consulting services for Northeast power market participants including investors (banks, private equity, & hedge funds) & developers, generation owners & operators, utilities & retail electricity suppliers, regulators & RTOs, traders, and end-users & buyers.