New Marketplace for Energy Efficiency - a podcast by Nathan Shetterley

Washington, D.C.: A federal agency Thursday ordered the operator of the nation’s largest marketplace for electric power to allow energy efficiency projects to compete directly with electric power plants.  The new head-to-head competition was ordered to begin with an auction this May to purchase the resources needed to meet peak power demands during the summer of 2012.   The auction will be run by PJM Interconnection, Inc., which coordinates electric grid operations serving 51 million people in 13 states and the District of Columbia, and operates the nation's largest competitive wholesale electricity market. 

“This is a major breakthrough for consumers,” said StevenNadel, Executive Director of the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE).  “New investments in energy efficiency should help lower the cost of meeting the peak demand for power on hot summer days.  ThePJMauction will provide a new source of funding for efficiency projects, allowing the savings to consumers to grow.”