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Run the Grid
How does a market pick a price?
Part 1
Supply and demand: a boba shop
Pick a price
$8
Find the price
Hot day!
Part 2
Now electricity: each step is a power plant
Watch
You try
7 PM
Reset
Price
The bid stack
Clear it for me
Supply bid
Price
Quantity (GW)
drag ↕
cheapest bids at the bottom
Demand to meet
31.5 GW
Accepted: 0 GW
Part 3
Every 5 minutes, a new price. Add them up: a whole day.
Time
12:00 AM
Demand
=
Supply
15.5 GW = 15.5 GW
Price
$35
Bid stack, live
Bid
Price
GW
Demand
cheapest at the bottom
Play the day
Speed 1×
See it live
CAISO Today's Outlook →
California's real demand curve today, next to the forecast
caiso.com/todays-outlook
Part 4
Forecasting: guess tomorrow's demand
Clues
→
Math
→
Forecast
1. Clues move together
2a. A straight line: hotter day → more demand
2b. What if everyone gets home at once?
Which math fits better?
Dots only
Straight line
Curve
Average miss
Made-up numbers for teaching.