Energy Demand Jumped during Canada-US Gold Medal Game
Monday, March 8th, 2010
Here’s an interesting fact: according to Ontario’s Independent Electricity System Operator (who’s responsible for connecting all users and producers of power in Canada’s largest province), the demand for electricity shot up significantly during the Canada-US Gold Medal hockey game of the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics.
The IESO measured an increase of 300MW right before the game began – more than enough to power a city of 150,000 people. Electricity demand dropped significantly very shortly after Sidney Crosby’s overtime goal at approximately 5:40pm Eastern Time.
The IESO also measured power demand spikes during commercials, when, one supposes, millions of Canadians simultaneously opened up their fridges to grab a beer and strained municipal water pumping stations by unknowingly flushing toilets in concert with their fellow countrymen. The total demand spike of 300 MW would equate to about 180 tonnes of greenhouse emissions throughout the two and a half hour Olympic final.
Changes in Behaviour Count
It’s estimated that 80 percent of Canadians watched the Gold Medal game on February 28th, making it the most watched televised event in Canadian history.
“Consumer behaviour has a significant impact on the demand for electricity,” said Mark Wilson, a Manager at the IESO. “The patterns we saw yesterday are very different from the demand profile for a typical Sunday in late February.”
I guess that goes to show that behaviour changes can really make a difference.
(via Treehugger, Clean Break, IESO)