Tight Supply, Meet Increased Demand.

The Detroit Free Press: DTE lightens electricity load by cycling customers' air conditioning on and off

Reeling from a destructive storm and scorching heat, DTE Energy activated a back-up plan Friday that lessened demand on the system by cycling some customers' air-conditioning on and off amid triple-digit highs of last week's record-setting heat spell. Those customers are among the 280,000 participants in the utility's CoolCurrents program, volunteers who step up from June to October in exchange for a break on power bills. DTE and other Midwest power companies rely on an extended Midwest and Canadian network on which utilities can buy or sell electricity to meet peak demand. But with storm damage and high heat stressing systems in the region, the future supply was in question. DTE decided to take the action to lessen the demand, said spokesman Alejandro Bodipo-Memba. "There was a question about supply on the system," he said. "It can quickly become an issue."

Gee, I wonder what could cause the need for cycling loads and the increasing the cost of power because of increased demand?

Could it be due to the lack of increased supply because of denials for new coal plants, including a new 600 megawatt plant in Michigan not to mention the EPA by regulation choking the construction of new coal plants?

May 21, 2010 (ENS) - The Michigan Department of Natural Resources and Environment today denied Wolverine Power Supply Cooperative's an air quality permit for a new 600 megawatt coal-fired power plant. The power plant was proposed for Rogers City in northern Michigan on the shore of Lake Huron. The state's decision is based on findings of the Michigan Public Service Commission, which said the company failed to demonstrate the plant was needed to meet future supply needs.

Brilliant forecast there Granholm and dear gentlemen/gentlewomen of the PSC, simply brilliant.