Accelerated Deployment of Irrigation Pumping Demand Flexibility

In agricultural operations across California (and many western states), irrigation pumping is a major energy consumer and offers a compelling opportunity to synchronize with electricity grid needs. California’s agricultural industry uses almost 7 percent of the state’s electricity, mostly for pumping water to irrigate crops. Installing technology that helps manage and control irrigation pumps in response to pricing signals from utilities can help irrigators reduce their electricity costs and shift demand to a period when power is more affordable and available. Despite the advantages load management technology provides, it is used only sparingly in the agricultural sector. By combining traditional demand response expertise and technology used with time-of-use strategies and dynamic rates pilots, Polaris Energy Services was able to recruit and install an additional 40 megawatts of flexible peak load, with interesting implications for commercial irrigation channels that have historically not been involved with energy incentives.