3 ms·

> 12,500 TWh of electricity daily You're simplifying out that electric consumption varies during the day.

• Manuel_D 5y ago
  Excellent point. Peak electricity consumption occurs during the evenings when solar is producing little, if any, electricity. Daily fluctuations of electricity usage put an even greater demand on electricity storage.
  • epistasis 5y ago
    That's not correct, peak demand is usually during mid-day, at least in the US: https://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=27212 https://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=27212
    • Manuel_D 5y ago
      I'm seeing it peak around the evening in all time zones. This is the link to the actual energy grid visualization tool: https://www.eia.gov/electricity/gridmonitor/expanded-view/electric_overview/US48/US48/ElectricityOverview-2/edit https://www.eia.gov/electricity/gridmonitor/expanded-view/el... Browsing the last day's energy usage yields peaks at: Eastern: 8pm Central: 7pm Mountain 6pm Pacific: 5pm
      • qqqwerty 5y ago
        Due to AC usage, electricity demand tends to be much higher in the summers than in the winters. And the demand profile in the summers peaks in mid-late afternoon. i.e You are not looking at the highest overall peak of the year, just the hourly peaks from the last few days.