Peak Energy Demand and Demand Side Response

"Demand-side response is an ever more significant concern for energy policy and for everyone who would like to see a well-functioning low-carbon electricity system. Drawing on many years of detailed research into energy economics, and on interdisciplinary collaborations, this book opens up and analyses a wide range of issues associated with DSR, from daily household activities and the implications of automated demand control to the structure of capacity markets. Illustrated with case studies from northern and southern Europe as well as the USA, it is a welcome addition to the growing literature on the demand-side contribution to energy transition."– Sarah Darby, Senior Research Fellow, Environmental Change Institute, University of Oxford.

"The demand side of the energy sector has long been a Cinderella, a poor relation to the supply side which has hogged R&D budgets, investment, policy and media attention. This has started to change. Jacopo Torriti is in the vanguard of a new generation of researchers helping stake an appropriate claim for the importance of changing the patterns of energy use.

A real buzz has started around the benefits of re-shaping electricity demand patterns, but the evidence base has been thin and scattered. This book builds on the author’s own innovative research and his involvement with leading research teams; it draws together multiple threads to weave a rich picture of demand response, and highlights the important opportunities ahead." – Matthew Leach, Professor of Energy and Environmental Systems, Centre for Environmental Strategy, University of Surrey

"With its focus on demand side response in Europe, the book fills a major gap in the literature. This is teamed with a flowing narrative and a hugely impressive array of incisive research."– Ahmad Faruqui, Principal, The Brattle Group