The role of energy efficiency in electric power systems: Lessons from experiments in the US

Abstract

Electricity systems are dynamic, reflecting a complex and continuous interaction of generation supply, and load or customer demand. Demand intensity, from magnitude to timing, can be influenced in strategic and significant ways by employing techniques of energy efficiency. It can include changes in processes, behavior modification, pricing, and the inclusion of energy-saving technologies, all in the interests of changing the load profile and making it either more responsive or more efficient in the face of resource scarcity. Efficiency programs in the United States provide an historical overview of initiatives with corresponding success and failure over the past two decades. © 2009 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.