U.S. Hourly Electrical energy Demand Peaked in July with Widespread Heatwaves

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Final summer time, U.S. electrical energy demand within the Decrease 48 states was best at 6:00 p.m. Jap Daylight Time on July 15, 2024, when it reached about 745 gigawatthours (GWh), primarily based on knowledge in our Hourly Electrical Grid Monitor. In our evaluation, we calculate every day’s peak in keeping with the hour with the very best electrical energy demand. This 12 months’s U.S. summer time hourly peak (745 GWh) was primarily the identical as in 2023 (742 GWh) and in 2022 (743 GWh). However, U.S. era from January by July was about 2,500 terawatthours (TWh), 4% greater than the two,397 TWh generated in the identical interval final 12 months, in keeping with our Electrical energy Energy Month-to-month.

U.S. electrical energy demand tends to peak in July or August as air-conditioning use ramps up. Temperatures in July had been above common for a lot of the US, particularly in elements of the West, Northeast, and Southeast, in keeping with the Month-to-month Nationwide Local weather Report for July 2024 from the Nationwide Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Nationwide Facilities for Environmental Data.

Though the height hourly electrical era within the contiguous United States was largely flat 12 months on 12 months, sure areas skilled larger year-over-year peak demand primarily based on native climate, energy grid situations, and out there electrical energy provide.

The U.S. electrical energy system is composed of three main grids: the Jap Interconnection, Western Interconnection, and the Electrical Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT). Inside every energy grid are balancing authorities, which embrace utilities, cooperatives, and different entities, that guarantee sufficient electrical energy is obtainable to fulfill buyer wants. If electrical energy provide and demand are imbalanced, native or widespread blackouts can happen.

East

Throughout the Jap Interconnection, hourly electrical energy demand peaked on July 15 at about 549 GWh, as temperatures had been properly above common in a number of East Coast states that month, in keeping with NOAA. Day by day excessive temperatures stayed above triple digits for a number of consecutive days in some metropolitan areas. As an example, each Baltimore, Maryland, and Washington, DC, skilled excessive temperatures of 100°F or above from July 14 to 17.

Electrical energy demand in an hour on August 1 got here near July’s peak, reaching about 540 GWh, however demand was curbed by the rain and energy outages attributable to Hurricane Debby, which moved up the East Coast from August 4 to 10.

Texas

In Texas, hourly electrical energy demand peaked on August 20, reaching about 86 GWh, which is just about the identical because the earlier all-time each day peak of 85 GWh reached in August 2023.

Though electrical energy demand reached 81 GWh in an hour on July 1, demand fell by a couple of third to 55 GWh by July 8, when Hurricane Beryl reached the Texas shoreline.

West

Within the Western Interconnection, hourly electrical energy demand peaked on July 10 at about 141 GWh. This quantity excludes British Columbia and Alberta, that are a part of the regional grid.

The California energy grid operator, California Unbiased System Operator (CAISO), reported related outcomes for the total Western Interconnection together with British Columbia and Alberta. With the 2 Canadian provinces, electrical energy demand reached about 168 GWh on July 10, setting a brand new report.

Though California noticed record-breaking temperatures this previous summer time, CAISO mentioned electrical energy demand on its system, which additionally covers a part of Nevada, peaked on July 24 at about 45 GWh, which was lower than the report of 52 GWh that occurred on September 6, 2022.

Principal contributors: Stephanie Tsao, Mark Morey. Article first printed on Right now in Vitality.