According to the IEEFA report, peak power demand in the national capital increased by 711 megawatts (MW) on the hottest and most humid days, by 506 MW on cold and dry days, but only by 188 MW on days when The temperature and humidity increased. They were moderate.
The analysis used wet bulb temperature (WBT).
On hot and humid days, when the WBT temperature was 32.5 degrees Celsius, the year-on-year increase in peak demand was 3.8 times greater than that on moderate days (17.5 degrees WBT) and on cold and humid days. dry (7.5 degrees WBT). ), was 2.7 times higher.
The report also highlights a marked increase in the number of very hot and humid days (using 30 degrees WBT as a threshold).
In the analysis, there were 24 hot and humid days in 2022-23, which increased to 40 days in the 12-month period just completed. It has been considered impossible to survive in WBT temperatures above 35 degrees for more than a few hours.
“Temperature levels that directly threaten human health have been exceeded much more frequently during this year's heat wave. “Cooling on those days is not a luxury, it saves lives and reliably meeting electricity demand is of paramount importance,” said report author Charles Worringham, IEEFA guest contributor.
As heat waves could soon become the norm, the burden of power generation cannot fall solely on thermal plants, which are operating closer to full capacity than in recent years.
Worringham emphasized that moderating the growth rate of energy demand is also an urgent goal. This includes prioritizing challenging but vital programs at central and state levels to improve the energy efficiency of buildings, as well as encouraging demand-side management initiatives through flexible tariffs and other incentives to curb the rise in peak demand.
The analysis used wet bulb temperature (WBT).
On hot and humid days, when the WBT temperature was 32.5 degrees Celsius, the year-on-year increase in peak demand was 3.8 times greater than that on moderate days (17.5 degrees WBT) and on cold and humid days. dry (7.5 degrees WBT). ), was 2.7 times higher.
The report also highlights a marked increase in the number of very hot and humid days (using 30 degrees WBT as a threshold).
In the analysis, there were 24 hot and humid days in 2022-23, which increased to 40 days in the 12-month period just completed. It has been considered impossible to survive in WBT temperatures above 35 degrees for more than a few hours.
“Temperature levels that directly threaten human health have been exceeded much more frequently during this year's heat wave. “Cooling on those days is not a luxury, it saves lives and reliably meeting electricity demand is of paramount importance,” said report author Charles Worringham, IEEFA guest contributor.
As heat waves could soon become the norm, the burden of power generation cannot fall solely on thermal plants, which are operating closer to full capacity than in recent years.
Worringham emphasized that moderating the growth rate of energy demand is also an urgent goal. This includes prioritizing challenging but vital programs at central and state levels to improve the energy efficiency of buildings, as well as encouraging demand-side management initiatives through flexible tariffs and other incentives to curb the rise in peak demand.
