UK Experience Massive Power Surges When Soap Operas Finish...

[BrianHG]

This is nuts:  , but thinking about it, I guess I should have known...
See here:

[Ampera]

A similar thing happens here when a heat wave hits. Everybody is operating their window ACs and HVAC systems all at once, trying to keep cool. I can't find any evidence of it, but when I was visiting relatives in Bristol, CT when apparently my uncle in law was listening to police radio and heard that they were blocking off streets due to electrified ground? Apparently a load of houses had all their wiring shot.

I have no clue if this is true, or what happened. I didn't see it, and I just heard about it. Maybe someone with more than casual experience in the US power grid can give some idea as to what happened.

[Ampera]

To deal with excess power, sometimes operators will pay someone to consume the electricity. Perfectly normal.
BTW, there are fast ramping up/down generators, such as gas turbine and hydrolic plants.
Some generators can bleed off excessive energy in forms of hot gas or hot water, though that't not healthy operation and should be avoided.

I like the idea of having two reservoirs at different altitudes and pumping the water to the higher one in times of high power, and using the system as hydroelectric power in times of low power. In my mind it should be fairly quick to start it up, and relatively cheap to implement. 

[AndyC_772]

We have one here in the UK:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dinorwig_Power_Station

[coppice]

I like the idea of having two reservoirs at different altitudes and pumping the water to the higher one in times of high power, and using the system as hydroelectric power in times of low power. In my mind it should be fairly quick to start it up, and relatively cheap to implement.

That's usually just a dam, with a high side and a low side. The generators can suck water from low side, or be pushed by water from high side, depending you want to store or release energy.

Its rarely just a dam. You want lots of vertical distance between the high and low pools.

[tggzzz]

We have one here in the UK:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dinorwig_Power_Station

There's another significant one in Cruachan Scotland, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cruachan_Power_Station

[Yansi]

To deal with excess power, sometimes operators will pay someone to consume the electricity. Perfectly normal.
BTW, there are fast ramping up/down generators, such as gas turbine and hydrolic plants.
Some generators can bleed off excessive energy in forms of hot gas or hot water, though that't not healthy operation and should be avoided.

I like the idea of having two reservoirs at different altitudes and pumping the water to the higher one in times of high power, and using the system as hydroelectric power in times of low power. In my mind it should be fairly quick to start it up, and relatively cheap to implement.

Even our fuckturd small country have a few plants like you describe. Its not that uncommon. However not enough power or energy, as it would be needed.

[james_s]

A setup like that exists near the Grande Coulee dam in central Washington, I've been to the dam before and toured one of the power houses, it's a very impressive installation.

[stj]

all lies.
the power surge after soap opera's is from everybody turning the tv back on after the crap has finished! 

[lmester]

I work for a public school system that has several large school buildings. We get a discount on our power rates by agreeing to load shed when requested. I have a button on my HVAC controls screen that I call the sweat button One mouse click and non essential HVAC equipment turns off. Hundreds of other heat pumps bump their setpoint by 5 degrees. I've only had load shed requests during hot summer weather.

Also, the power meters in the larger buildings measure the peak power demand and report this back to the power company.  our rate is based on the peak power used each month. Our power bill takes a hit whenever we have a night sports event. Many KW's of stadium lights are running for a few hours.

This is a big enough problem that the power company is willing to give a discount for shedding load and a penalty for big spikes in load.

[Alex Eisenhut]

And there's a surge in municipal water use during commercial breaks, or at least there was when it was only TV.

[jh15]

People still watch TV in real time in UK? Thought that went away with the VCR.

In the USA, sewer plant usage was charted almost the highest during the first commercial during the live moon walk. 

A higher count was when Tiny Tim got married on the Johnny Carson show.

[hendorog]

I work for a public school system that has several large school buildings. We get a discount on our power rates by agreeing to load shed when requested. I have a button on my HVAC controls screen that I call the sweat button One mouse click and non essential HVAC equipment turns off. Hundreds of other heat pumps bump their setpoint by 5 degrees. I've only had load shed requests during hot summer weather.

Also, the power meters in the larger buildings measure the peak power demand and report this back to the power company.  our rate is based on the peak power used each month. Our power bill takes a hit whenever we have a night sports event. Many KW's of stadium lights are running for a few hours.

This is a big enough problem that the power company is willing to give a discount for shedding load and a penalty for big spikes in load.

It would be an interesting exercise to work out the payback on using Tesla devices to reduce the spikes.

[Zero999]

People still watch TV in real time in UK? Thought that went away with the VCR.

Yes, plenty of people still watch live TV here, especially for sporting events when they like to see the action in real time. Yes, TV Pickup is less of a problem now, than it used to be but it still happens.

[Gyro]

People still watch TV in real time in UK? Thought that went away with the VCR.

Don't forget we have a lot less commercial breaks here - none at all on the BBC channels. It makes it still watchable. 

[SeanB]

I work for a public school system that has several large school buildings. We get a discount on our power rates by agreeing to load shed when requested. I have a button on my HVAC controls screen that I call the sweat button One mouse click and non essential HVAC equipment turns off. Hundreds of other heat pumps bump their setpoint by 5 degrees. I've only had load shed requests during hot summer weather.

Also, the power meters in the larger buildings measure the peak power demand and report this back to the power company.  our rate is based on the peak power used each month. Our power bill takes a hit whenever we have a night sports event. Many KW's of stadium lights are running for a few hours.

This is a big enough problem that the power company is willing to give a discount for shedding load and a penalty for big spikes in load.

It would be an interesting exercise to work out the payback on using Tesla devices to reduce the spikes.

For some stadiums they also will start up the emergency generators and synchronise them to the grid and then power the lights from this combined power source, so that a failure of the grid or the generators does not dump all the lighting and leave you in the dark for the half hour hot restrike time most 5kW and higher metal halide lights require. Running with them in tandem and a simpler overcurrent breaker in the supply means you can disconnect from the grid if it fails without dropping the light load, and if the generators die you just will have a very big power max KVA peak bill to pay later, but will have the lights all the time. Stadium lighting can easily get into the multi hundred kilowatt range, and for really big ones well over the megawatt range, especially if you also consider all the other things like air handling, cooking and refrigeration loads typically associated with these events.

[dmills]

For some stadiums they also will start up the emergency generators and synchronise them to the grid and then power the lights from this combined power source, so that a failure of the grid or the generators does not dump all the lighting and leave you in the dark for the half hour hot restrike time most 5kW and higher metal halide lights require.

Yep, and having to abandon a big game due to a floodlighting fault gets expensive fast, and gets the gambling regulatory people very interested after it was done deliberately a few times (Turns out that a quick tweak to protection breaker settings can be worth a years pay to a maintenance minion, and a hundred times that to a gambling syndicate, who knew).... 

Performing arts venues are another one that suffers from nasty peak VA charges, the lighting loads are large and highly variable.

73 Dan.