Reason why power consumption jumps by orders of magnitude after the end of popular TV programs in the UK

ByKevin dooley

It is said to drink the world's best teaEnglandHowever, when the World Cup television broadcasting and popular melodrama ends due to the tea time customs, it seems that the power consumption will jump up by an order of magnitude.

BBC - Britain From Above - Stories - People - Tea - time Britain
http://www.bbc.co.uk/britainfromabove/stories/people/teatimebritain.shtml


BBC NEWS | UK | Magazine | Can you have a big 'switch off'?
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/6981356.stm


This phenomenonTV pickupIt is called UK specific one. British people seem to tend to watch the same TV programs from other people long ago, it is considered to overlap with the tea time habits, most people will boil water at the same time. In the UK, the introduction of multiple channels has been done, but this was consideration for electric companies. Especially the continuous TV drama broadcasted on BBC "East EndersAfter finishing, 1.75 million kettles are put on fire all at once, so BritishNational Grid control centerIn the meantime, the power supply will be adjusted.

Peak is around 21:00, usually when the drama ends or when you move to a commercial, the electricity demand will increase by 200 to 400 MW, but as irregular developments such as drama characters dying or marriage happens It will increase from 700 to 800 MW.

The biggest one among TV pickups was the 1990 World Cup, with 2800 MW of power being consumed when the game ended with a penalty shoot in England versus West Germany. Sports pubs are located in different parts of the UK, but 71% of the population tends to see the world cup at home. In addition, there was a solar eclipse in August 1999 for the rapid increase in electricity demand caused by non-television programs, and the electricity demand at this time was 3000 MW.

ByGamma-Ray Productions

The National Grid has to supply the necessary power while keeping the frequency within 49.5 to 50.5 Hz, but it should not supply too much. Alan Smart, Operation Manager of National Grid, explains this as "driving a car while relaxing and keeping the speed of 80 km per second while stepping on the accelerator when going up a slope".

In order to cope with TV pickup, National Grid said it temporarily contracts contract with power plant to reduce power consumption and provide extra power. The most important thing is to accurately predict the demand for electricity, but it seems easier to shift the time to make hot water easier than that.

In addition, details can be seen from the following movie.