This MCC insight shows how utilities can unlock “hidden capacity” through demand-side management, reducing curtailment, easing network constraints, and making solar-heavy systems more stable. Explore the programmes, incentives, and operational changes that turn flexible demand into a planning asset.
The paper explains why DSM is becoming essential as solar penetration rises, focusing on the utility’s role in designing and operating flexibility programmes. It discusses how tariffs, incentives, and smart enablement (e.g., digital platforms and automation) can shift or shape load to match solar output, reduce peak stress, and defer network reinforcement. The note also outlines implementation considerations, customer participation, measurement/verification, and how DSM should be valued within planning and regulatory frameworks to scale reliably.
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