Power generation specs I see quoted

[PT]

This may not really be a good quesion for this group since it is really
about power generation on the utility level rather than about
electronics but here goes since I am sure many of you will have some
insight to this stuff...

Today's Boston Globe had an article about places like Fenway Park (Red
Sox), the Fleet Center (Celtics & Bruins) and Gillette Stadium (Pats)
and the amount of power they use during a game. The numbers under the
photos gave stats like '3000 kilowatts used during a game, enough to
power 2250 average homes'. So I am sitting there drinking my coffee and
reading this and thinking to myself, self, this doesn't seem right
since that is less than 1.5kW per home. A single hair dryer will draw
more power than that.

But as it turns out, this appears to be a number that is often quoted
for stating the generation capability of a power plant. 1MW for 750
homes. While I understand that not each and every home is going to be
pulling as much as they can all the time, it does seem likely that a
significant number of them would be needing more than a single hair
dryer of power. At 3am, most home are not using much power, but at say
8pm, MOST of those 750 homes probably have the TV on, a half dozen or
more lights on, fridge is running since it has been opened a lot for
dinner, etc. Even if only half those 750 homes are using only 3kW, that
is well over the 1MW capacity of the utility.

So my question is, how does this number hold up? Seems like yes it is
possible that over the course of a day many homes will not be using
that much, it seems as likely that many homes would be using a
significant amount of electricity at the same time many times a day and
you would have more brown outs and power failures than we have. So what
is the deal?

PT

 

[Larry Brasfield]

"PT" <westford97-google1@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:1111283312.484808.322510@z14g2000cwz.googlegroups.com...

This may not really be a good quesion for this group since it is really
about power generation on the utility level rather than about
electronics but here goes since I am sure many of you will have some
insight to this stuff...

Today's Boston Globe had an article about places like Fenway Park (Red
Sox), the Fleet Center (Celtics & Bruins) and Gillette Stadium (Pats)
and the amount of power they use during a game. The numbers under the
photos gave stats like '3000 kilowatts used during a game, enough to
power 2250 average homes'. So I am sitting there drinking my coffee and
reading this and thinking to myself, self, this doesn't seem right
since that is less than 1.5kW per home. A single hair dryer will draw
more power than that.

But as it turns out, this appears to be a number that is often quoted
for stating the generation capability of a power plant. 1MW for 750
homes. While I understand that not each and every home is going to be
pulling as much as they can all the time, it does seem likely that a
significant number of them would be needing more than a single hair
dryer of power. At 3am, most home are not using much power, but at say
8pm, MOST of those 750 homes probably have the TV on, a half dozen or
more lights on, fridge is running since it has been opened a lot for
dinner, etc. Even if only half those 750 homes are using only 3kW, that
is well over the 1MW capacity of the utility.

So my question is, how does this number hold up? Seems like yes it is
possible that over the course of a day many homes will not be using
that much, it seems as likely that many homes would be using a
significant amount of electricity at the same time many times a day and
you would have more brown outs and power failures than we have. So what
is the deal?

Firstly, I cannot answer your real question without
either doing some tedious research or making the
same kind of off-the-cuff analysis you have. But
since your post is lingering unanswered here, I
will offer these few thoughts and suggestions.

1. Getting one's view of reality from the Boston Globe
or any other single member of the mainstream media
is a formula for becoming misinformed and ignorant of
events and situations you would want to know about.
So, on that basis alone, I see no reason to worry about
explaining a discrepency between what your common
sense tells you and what that paper says. Reporters
are notoriously loose with facts and numerical facts
are often taken from one context and used in another
with (one hopes) little idea of the resulting distortions.

2. It is a near certainty that your power company
knows the right number for houses in general and
likely breaks them down somewhat further. You
might be able, with a few phone calls or a visit to
their website, be able to get the right number.

3. You could ask your friends and neighbors what
their electricity bills have been. That would quickly
provide a quick sanity check on that suspect report.

4. You could look at your own electricity bill and
compare your level of consumption to what you
know or surmise about other households, then
make a straightforward calculation to derive your
own number. I would tend to believe that over an
unattributed number in a mainstream rag any day.

I, too, am skeptical of that number, both for its
magnitude and from its source. It certainly does
not comport with what my family uses or any of
my neighbors, from what I can see. But it is not
quite so low as to be patently ridiculous. (It is
close, but maybe Bostonites are very good at
the whole panoply of conservation tactics.)

--
--Larry Brasfield
email: donotspam_larry_brasfield@hotmail.com
Above views may belong only to me.

 

[BobG]

Average usage is about 1000 KWhrs. My bill is about $120 and price is
about $0.12 a KWhr. However, I have a 100 amp vreaker on my panel at
240V, so with everything on, I might be pulling 20KW. As you said
things start browning out about 5 when everyong gets home, turns on the
tv, stove, opens the fridge, lowers the ac, etc etc

 

[Fritz Schlunder]

"PT" <westford97-google1@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:1111283312.484808.322510@z14g2000cwz.googlegroups.com...

So my question is, how does this number hold up? Seems like yes it is
possible that over the course of a day many homes will not be using
that much, it seems as likely that many homes would be using a
significant amount of electricity at the same time many times a day and
you would have more brown outs and power failures than we have. So what
is the deal?

Power generation and distribution isn't quite as simple as just saying X
Megawatts for Y homes. There are three different types of powerplants.
Base load, intermediate load, and peaking plants. Base load plants are
primarily (in the US anyway) composed of coal and nuclear plants that
operate for as much of 24 hours a day as possible at as close to 100%
capacity factor as possible. Base load plants are normally expensive to
build, but are optimized for high thermal efficiency and consequently low
fuel cost. Intermediate load plants typically operate somewhat less than 24
hours a day, but more than peaking plants. Peaking plants are not designed
for high efficiency, they are designed for low capital cost. They are also
designed to be turned on and off on short notice. These plants will
typically operate for only a few hours a day, just during the peak
consumption periods of the day. Oil (very expensive fuel cost), low thermal
efficiency natural gas, and many hydroelectric generating stations are
examples of peaking plants, at least in the US.

I assume that number quoted in your newspaper article was a long term
average of sorts, but I don't know.

 

[JeffM]

'3000 kilowatts used during a game, enough to power 2250 average
homes'.
this doesn't seem right since that is less than 1.5kW per home.
A single hair dryer will draw more power than that.
PT

The thing being that you don't run it continuously.
These thing are meaned out over time.
The fridge and A/C are the heaviest draw and they are intermittent too,
cutting in & out as the thermostat demands.
If everybody's peak demand came at he same moment,
yeah, there'd be a problem.