Photo: BPA Substation
PGE Sets Power Record
PGE customers have set a new summer record for energy demand. The new mark is 3,976 megawatts (MW) net system load, set on Aug. 3 at 6 p.m. At the time it was 105 degrees at Portland International Airport.
The all-time winter peak of 4,073 MW net system load was set on Dec. 21, 1998. The low temperature at PDX that day was 16 degrees F.
This summer's pair of new records still falls short of that historic wintertime mark, but they're getting closer -- within 3 percent. Traditionally, PGE customers have used more electricity during the winter than in the summer, although that appears to be shifting.
More PGE customers now have air conditioning than in the past. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 70 percent of homes in our area have air conditioning. Today there are more cooling-technology choices, including heat pumps, whole-house air conditioning units, newer portable air conditioners and window units. Fans of all sizes come into play as well, adding load to the system.
PGE thanks our customers who participate in optional programs that either generate power on-site or reduce power use. They helped our community through the past two days of extreme heat and high demand for electricity. As an example, more than 17 MW of power is now available to PGE through optional demand-reduction programs, where customers receive financial incentives for lowering their use. Information and an educational video on PGE demand response programs are available at PortlandGeneral.com/EnergyPartner.
BPA Sets Power Record
Several Days of intense heat pushed Northwest temperatures above the 100-degree mark sending regional summertime power consumption to record highs. As the mercury soared, air conditioners and fans hummed along breaking the Bonneville Power Administration's record for peak summertime electricity consumption three days in a row.
BPA customer power usage broke the 2014 peak of 7,861 megawatts on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, Aug. 1, 2 and 3, with Wednesday being the highest. BPA's customers consumed 8,048 MW on Tuesday, 8,226 MW Wednesday and 8,208 on Thursday. For reference, just one MW can power an estimated 700 Northwest homes or 1,200 MW can power an entire city the size of Seattle.
BPA, in concert with its federal partners, prepared for the heat wave by safely delaying routine-maintenance activities, ensuring the turbines in federal dams were optimized for power generation and working closely with the Columbia Generating Station, a nuclear plant that generates up to 1,200 MW of clean, reliable power.
BPA transmission crews also stood ready to quickly address outages and kept in constant contact with firefighters as wildland fires across the region threatened transmission lines. However, so far, problems on BPA's transmission system have been kept to a minimum.
"Our crews have done an outstanding job preparing for this stretch of hot weather. And not just the equipment and the system, they've also been watching out for each other's safety in this sweltering heat. We've not had a single injury, heat-related or otherwise, during this event," says Robin Furrer, vice president of Transmission Field Services for the Bonneville Power Administration. "Our mission is to keep the lights on even under the most extreme conditions. So this is a job well done."