Wildfire smoke traveling to New England from the northern United States and Canada is creating challenges in forecasting demand for grid electricity but has not impacted regional power system reliability, ISO New England reported on July 16.
The smoke is having a two-fold impact on consumer demand for grid electricity — lowering temperatures across New England (which has the effect of reducing the need for energy-intensive air conditioning) and reducing production from behind-the-meter solar resources (which has the effect of boosting the need for grid electricity), it said.
At different points throughout the week, ISO New England estimates temperatures across the region were as much as 11 degrees Fahrenheit cooler than they would have been absent the smoky conditions. Estimated behind-the-meter solar production has dropped by up to 40% at times.
ISO New England forecasters have adjusted consumer demand forecasts to account for these differences.
The region also saw smoky conditions in 2023, though the smoke concentration this week has thus far exceeded that event.
Despite these complications in forecasting, ISO New England continues to manage the regional grid under normal operating conditions and does not anticipate this changing.
The grid operator has long-established procedures in place to maintain system reliability, should they be needed, it noted.
