Earth Equity News

Peak Demand for Electricity Levels Off In New York.By Matthew L. Wald, NYTimes, August 13, 2010. "Electricity use is up sharply this summer, but... New York State's grid controllers have noticed that something else is not rising: peak load. Peak load is the single hour of highest use in the course of the year, a condition for which the electric system is designed and which is the focus of utilities' operating strategies and, sometimes, prayers. Driven by each new air-conditioner, computer and flat-screen television, peak load grew inexorably from the 1980s until the recession. But it has stopped its climb, and experts say more is at work here than the stalled economy. There are several small reasons that consumption grows while peak load does not. One is weather patterns, the ratio of very hot days, which drive consumption, to extremely hot days, which drive peak. But another is man-made: 'demand-side management,' under which customers agree to unplug when controllers need them to. When balancing electricity supply with demand, demand-side management is a huge weight on the scale on critically hot days."