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> Average draw in the US is ~1200 watts. Peak draw is more relevant, though, than average draw. My point was that in a hypothetical town with a single 50MW gen
by fmihaila 9y ago
> Average draw in the US is ~1200 watts.
Peak draw is more relevant, though, than average draw. My point was that in a hypothetical town with a single 50MW generator you cannot sustain 50k households, due to daily peak usage exceeding the average by a significant factor.
Edit: on reading your reply, you're right.
- maxerickson 9y agoI think for nuclear the average draw probably is at least equally relevant. Reducing output costs money, so it isn't really going to follow the load down.
- Reason077 9y agoAs energy storage becomes more prevalent in the coming years, peak load becomes less relavent. Once you add storage, you really can supply 50k households (consuming an average 24kWh per day) from a 50MW supply.
- DennisP 9y agoBut then you have to ask which is more expensive, the storage or the excess capacity.
- stordoff 9y agoParticularly if demand is synchronised, meaning those peaks can be rather sharp: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TV_pickup https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TV_pickup