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DiscoverEE Webinar: Demystifying Demand Flexibility and Demand Response
Demand response (DR) programs help balance electricity demand by encouraging (and in some cases requiring) consumers to shift when they use power based on grid needs, electricity prices, or other signals. This flexibility can reduce peak demand, support renewable energy integration, and ease pressure on the grid.
Join Efficiency Canada’s Director of Utility Demand-Side Policy Karen Gorecki and a panel of expert guests for a deep dive into demand response programs, what makes them so valuable, and the challenges of implementing DR programs across the country.
Guest Speakers:
Barend Dronkers
Senior Research Engineer, Energy 350
Barend Dronkers is a Senior Research Engineer at Energy 350. Priority #1 is to make decarbonizing energy systems less daunting and accessible to everyone. He has 13 years of experience in the energy efficiency and utility industry. Barend works with the Energy 350 research team on engineering research design and implementation, including field work, data analysis and writing zesty technical reports for all audiences.
Before Energy 350, Barend led product development and strategy for E Source’s utility customer energy research and advisory services. His roles at E Source, Energy Efficiency Alberta, the Pembina Institute, and Shell gave him broad exposure to energy efficiency, demand response, and distributed energy resource technologies.
Barend is a licensed Professional Engineer (P. Eng.) in Canada. He has an Honors Bachelor of Applied Science in mechatronics engineering from the University of Waterloo in Canada, and a Master of Science in Sustainable Energy Technology from the Delft University of Technology in The Netherlands.
Lee Wood
Program Director, Energy Transition, CLEAResult
Lee Wood is a seasoned DSM expert with over 20 years of experience designing, delivering and evaluating programs that accelerate the adoption of distributed energy resources. As the Director of Energy Transition Programs at CLEAResult, Lee leads a new national team delivering innovative energy programs across Canada. Previously, Lee led the rapid growth of California’s Demand Side Grid Support Program at Olivine, scaling demand response capacity to over 500 MW. At LUMA Energy in Puerto Rico, he launched the utility’s first demand response, EV, energy efficiency and net energy metering programs to address the island’s critical generation shortfall. He also directed portfolio planning and evaluation for a $100 million DSM portfolio at Energy Efficiency Alberta, and spent a decade at Navigant Consulting supporting utilities across North America with program design, impact and process evaluation, cost-effectiveness modeling and regulatory strategy. Lee holds an MBA from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and brings a unique blend of strategic insight and technical expertise to the evolving energy landscape.