LIARS – 9,504 MW is NOT record peak demand for Xcel

July 19th, 2011

liar

Read the STrib today?  Xcel has 9,500 record peak.

Xcel, how dare you… the 9,500MW peak you report is exaggerated… naughty, naughty.  You didn’t deduct for the interruptible service customers’ megawatts, and you’re including electricity you’ve generated and sold elsewhere, that the number represents the totals Xcel put on the grid, and not accounting for the demand that they’ve shed, not wholesale sales in other markets. THIS IS NOT PEAK DEMAND!!!  YOU’RE CHEATING, XCEL… sigh… what’s new…

Thanks for clearing that up, little birdie!

birdie-eveninggrosbeak

But even considering that sleight of hand, it’s no record, it’s not even up to the 2006 peak… and that was FIVE years ago.  Your CapX 2020 transmission is predicated on 2.43% (is that right, 2.4 something…) increase annually, but folks, we’re not even close to that.

Here’s the peak demand over the last 10 years:

demandchart

And here’s what the STrib said today, what they said that Xcel said, blah blah blah, 9,500 my ass:

Xcel set new power demand record Monday


Xcel Energy said it set a new record for demand in Minnesota and three neighboring states on Monday as temperatures hit the high 90s in the region.

The state’s largest utility also reported thousands of power outages, usually lasting a few hours or less, as distribution lines failed and fuses on its system blew out, said spokesman Tom Hoen.

“It is not that there is not enough supply,” Hoen said. “It’s from the demand and stress being put on the system.”

The utility expects high power demand today and Wednesday because the heat wave is predicted to continue.

Hoen said Monday’s demand was 9,500 megawatts in Xcel’s service region in Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wisconsin. The previous record was set last Aug. 9 at 9,100 megawatts (MW). By comparison, Xcel’s largest power generation station — the three coal-fired Sherco units near Becker, Minn. — puts out a total of 2,400 MW.

At the worst Monday, more than 8,000 customers lost power, but that was down to 1,700 on Tuesday morning, Hoen said. No transmission lines have been affected, he added.

Xcel on Monday activated remote-controlled power-saving switches on air conditioning units of residential customers who signed up for the conservation program. Hoen said the conservation step, which cycles off customers’ air conditioning condensers, was activated for about an hour.

Article by: DAVID SHAFFER , Star Tribune

Power outages struck thousands across the metropolitan area as the distribution system was burdened by the electrical load. High demand is expected today.
—————–



Posted by Carol A. Overland
Filed in Energy
1 Comment »