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Interesting to compare this to modern UK demand curves: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/295225/S
by sleavey 6y ago
Interesting to compare this to modern UK demand curves: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/295225/Seasonal_variations_in_electricity_demand.pdf https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/....
There seem to be dips in the middle of the day in the 1954 data (lunch breaks), and pronounced peaks and drops at the start and end of the working day, suggesting that the demand was strongly dominated by industrial use. UK demand curves today don't show this much - presumably because people still leave their office computers, servers, etc. on over lunch and overnight.
There's also a smaller bump at 22h in the 1954 data and it's still somewhat present today in the summer data. I can't think of a good explanation for it. Perhaps street lighting, only visible as a second bump when they turn on only much later (summer) than the tapering off industrial demand? (An example of different demand types: those following fixed working hours and those following varying day/night light hours).
- arethuza 6y agoMaybe electric blankets and a last cup of tea before bed?
- makomk 6y agoYeah, as I understand it industry used to be a heavy consumer of electricity in the UK and it just isn't in that way anymore - particularly in places like Manchester and the North where a lot of the heavy industry was based - because the UK is no longer a major industrial player. I even saw talk by the National Grid in one of their planning reports about not replacing some of the transmission infrastructure up north when it ages out because with industry gone they just don't need that much capacity anymore.
- deleted 6y ago[deleted]
- tonyedgecombe 6y agoThe news used to come on at 10PM, I wonder if it was that.