Busting peak demand
Meeting the short surge in electricity demand that occurs on hot summer days when demand for air conditioning soars is very expensive - economically and for our health. The Ontario Power Authority, for example, estimates that it costs $1.64 per kilowatt hour to meet peak demand by building new power plants (compare this to the 5.9 cents per kWh Ontario consumers actually pay and you'll see the problem). And with coal plants often running full out to keep up with demand on what are usually also some of worst air quality days, we are just adding insult to injury. Fortunately, there is a much better solution: by encouraging both residential and industrial consumers to curb (or shift) electricity usage during peak periods we can save money and improve air quality. Ontario has barely scratched the surface of our demand reduction potential, yet peak demand is already falling. Reducing peak demand by another 5% by 2010 is readily achievable at a much lower cost than building more power stations and major new transmission lines.
- www.peakbusters.ca
- Reducing Peak Demand: How Ontario Can Expedite the Coal Phase Out by Reducing Peak Electricity Usage (Air Quality Factsheet #24)
