ISO/RTO Council to Convene Demand Response Technical Conference

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
March 17, 2008

Contact: Ellen Foley, (413) 535-4139

Conference Agenda

Panel 1 presentation: Measurement and Verification Standards

Panel 2 presentation: Lowering Barriers

WASHINGTON - The ISO/RTO Council (IRC) will hold a technical conference on demand response in the wholesale electricity markets. The purpose of the one-day conference is to solicit industry input on two initiatives to advance the participation of demand response in wholesale electricity markets.

FERC Commissioner Jon Wellinghoff will give the keynote address to open the conference, which will feature two sessions addressing important issues. The first session will discuss the joint IRC/ North American Energy Standards Board (NAESB) initiative to meet national standards for measurement and verification of demand response programs and resources. The second session will focus on the development of standardized communication protocols and possible North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) standards to make it easier for small demand resources to participate in the energy and ancillary services markets.

Members from the ISO/RTO Council's Working Group on Demand Response will discuss initial ideas and plans for addressing these issues. The group includes a cross-section from the demand response industry, including groups such as load aggregators, end-use customers, and technology providers. Formal presentations will be followed by open discussions to collect industry feedback on existing ideas, and obtain feedback on areas that warrant further discussion and development.

The conference will be held at the Hilton Crystal City in Arlington, Virginia on April 21, 2008. Registration begins at 7:30 a.m.; sessions run from 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Event registration is $75 and includes lunch and refreshments during the day.

Registration is available online at iso-ne.com.

If the above link does not work, you may paste this link into your browser window: http://www.iso-ne.com/calendar/

###