Demand Side Grid Support (DSGS) Program

Demand Side Grid Support sits under the California Energy Commission and pays electric customers to reduce load or deploy backup generation during extreme grid stress events from May through October. It is funded through the state's GHG Reduction Fund and is active on its fifth edition of guidelines. The program works as an incentive mechanism rather than a competitive research round, and eligibility reaches for-profit firms, nonprofits, universities, and individual participants. Materials are in English, US operations are expected, and there is no IP requirement in the available record. The Commission also compiled 2025 enrollment by district and county, which shows how local operating footprints matter in practice. Applicants succeed when they can reliably curtail demand or provide backup power during a stress event and can document that capability cleanly. The practical value of the program is grid stability and blackout avoidance, so the strongest fits are customers with flexible operations, dispatchable assets, or aggregators that can coordinate response during the summer peak.

Each grant below is a distinct funding opportunity with its own eligibility, scope, and deliverables.