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So let's say this is 10% efficient, that means 50W per citizen. Clearly, there is something I'm not getting. Do power companies really budget 50W per user? I me
by Udo 7y ago
So let's say this is 10% efficient, that means 50W per citizen. Clearly, there is something I'm not getting. Do power companies really budget 50W per user? I mean it's possible but that seems very low to me.
- dredmorbius 7y agoIn 1934, electricity use was limited, and still fairly novel in many places. Utterly unavailable in much of the rural US (look into the rural electrical cooperatives). Principle household uses would have been lighting and refrigeration, possibly a few clocks, a radio, and perhaps appliances. Averaged over a day, draw per person could well have been only a few tens of watts. 50W per person for a household of four would be about 150 kWh per month, which sounds roughly reasonable. The 2018 US average was 914 kWh/mo: https://www.eia.gov/tools/faqs/faq.php?id=97&t=3 https://www.eia.gov/tools/faqs/faq.php?id=97&t=3 In 1930, direct electrical use was only 1% of total household energy consumption. Coal was 69%, fuelwood still 23%. Expressed as kWh/mo (the source below has graphs giving nationwide trillions of BTU/yr electrical equivalent) the number looks closer to 80 kWh/mo, or 110 watt constant, about 28 watt/person assuming a family of four. https://aceee.org/files/proceedings/1992/data/papers/SS92_Panel10_Paper17.pdf https://aceee.org/files/proceedings/1992/data/papers/SS92_Pa...