Inside the NOC

They’re analytically-minded, thrive when faced with the unexpected, and have developed an almost super-human capacity to take down pots of coffee — they’re our distributed energy team, based out of Buffalo, NY. Their mission is simple: monitor market conditions and track any potential events that could impact energy supply, so customers can respond in real-time to curtail power use and stabilize the grid.  How it goes, however, is no easy feat.

The demand response home base is the NOC, also known as the Network Operations Center, a command hub that tracks grid conditions, weather patterns, stock market fluctuations, outages, and other factors that challenge electric supply across the country. Our team of analysts maintains a constant view on the many factors that shape our electric world so they can work with demand response (DR) customers to scale back on consumption. That means 24/7 activation, 365 days a year — the NOC is standing by to resolve issues and make sure organizations are able to stay online when energy or emergency situations come up.

Through constant monitoring of market trends, happenings, and insights, the NOC operators immediately inform customers of pending events and the need to implement their specific reduction action plan (RAP). We’re providing up-to-the-minute insight, including text notifications and email alerts, that allow customers to be responsive and scale consumption more rapidly, so they can save financially.

Our team acts as a direct partner for those enrolled in DR programs, pinpointing what is creating a grid threat and contacting them with options for scaling back energy load. By working fast, the grid remains reliable for everyone, which is good for our customers and even those we have yet to work with. And we don’t leave any communication up to automation—our customers are connected to an energy partner who is invested in maintaining their operations and business through a demand response event.

It’s this level of partnership that sets NRG and our NOC team apart—our analysts are more informed on the energy market’s variabilities and know how to navigate events big and small. Whether it’s a nor’easter or a downward shift in the market, the demand response team understands the grid ramifications and is waiting to help customers weather the situation to stay online.

At the NOC, we’re making data and technology work for our customers. We’re investing in a partnership that goes above market expectations and insists on a new standard of demand response communication. We’re investing in powerful tools and solutions for demand response forecasting and implementation, that are backed by the greatest resource we have: our team of energy experts.