Local distribution companies deliver natural gas to consumers through small-diameter, lower pressure service lines. Compressor stations (or pumping stations) on the pipeline network keep the natural gas flowing forward through the pipeline system. Wide-diameter, high-pressure interstate transmission pipelines that cross state boundaries and intrastate transmission pipelines that operate within state boundaries transport natural gas from the producing and processing areas to storage facilities and distribution centers.Natural gas processing plants separate hydrocarbon gas liquids, nonhydrocarbon gases, and water from the natural gas before the natural gas is delivered into a mainline transmission system. Gathering systems, primarily made up of small-diameter, low-pressure pipelines, move raw natural gas from the wellhead to a natural gas processing plant or to an interconnection with a larger mainline pipeline.Transporting natural gas from production areas to consumers involves a series of steps that are generally carried out in the following order: What makes up this transportation network? In 2021, this natural gas transportation network delivered about 27.6 trillion cubic feet (Tcf) of natural gas to about 77.7 million consumers. The pipeline network has about 3 million miles of mainline and other pipelines that link natural gas production areas and storage facilities with consumers. natural gas pipeline network is a highly integrated network that moves natural gas throughout the continental United States. In addition to advising National Grid on how to craft impactful messages to encourage behavior change, Copper designed the program as a statistically randomized control trial, with a treatment group that received the targeted messages and a control group that did not.The U.S. during the height of the blizzard, monitor usage and send targeted messages to customers. Together, National Grid and Copper Labs created a demand response event that would cover a four-hour peak demand time from 6 to 10 a.m. In the lead-up to the bomb cyclone of January 30, 2022, National Grid was expecting an increase in natural gas consumption – and decided to put Copper Labs’ solution to the test. These notifications encourage customers to modify their behavior, e.g., turning their heat down a few degrees or postponing a hot shower to conserve natural gas during peak demand or significant weather events. The utility chose Copper Labs’ patented technology thanks to its unique, first-in-the- market ability to unlock near real-time usage data directly from existing AMR gas meters without requiring extensive infrastructure upgrades.Īn in-home device allows National Grid to observe customer loads and send targeted messages to enrolled customers on their smartphones. National Grid partnered with Copper Labs to roll out a residential natural gas demand response program for Downstate New York, the first of its kind. Yet, like most of its peers, the utility could only access gas usage data from drive-by meters every 30 days, missing the critical real-time insights required to understand customer behavior and gas consumption patterns. National Grid needed to take its demand response efforts and future system planning to the next level. Copper Labs provides the ability to target, engage, and nudge consumers in real-time to shift demand when it matters most to the grid. While traditional natural gas load management initiatives, such as weatherization, high-efficiency equipment, home energy reports and smart thermostats continue to deliver value for customers, these measures are one-time actions. Tasked with creating programs designed to limit outages while increasing resource availability to consumers, natural gas utilities rely on traditional methodologies that use historic data from drive-by meters to inform their program design.įaced with some of the harshest weather conditions, increasing demand and an inability to quickly build out infrastructure in New York State, National Grid was looking for ‘non-pipes alternatives’ that would allow the utility to continue to serve its customers and avoid system disruptions. Because of regional constraints and high costs, natural gas utilities like National Grid have been unable to expand delivery infrastructure in recent years.Īt the same time, significant weather events, like the 2022 bomb cyclone, are on the rise, exposing the need for better methods of demand management for utilities of all types.
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