Edmonton is heating up! Health officials issued a heat advisory for the Edmonton region this week due to temperatures heating up to 30 degrees, feeling like 33 degrees or hotter with the humidex. Anyone with an AC will almost certainly be getting ready for this heatwave by getting their units maintained (look for the website of an HVAC repairman – get it here) in preparation. City of Edmonton outdoor pools extended their hours and residents have been turning up their air conditioning. Is our city reaching a new summertime electrical demand? The grid is over loaded and supply is tight.
The provincial electrical operator has asked citizens to reduce the use of electricity by minimizing the use of air conditioning, closing blinds or shades during the hottest part of the day and reducing the use of lights or appliances until later in the evening. You could also look into this guide over on www.acrepairbrandonfl.com/ac-repair-guide regarding how to maintain your AC unit so it’s able to operate at maximum efficiency, possibly something Edmonton residents drastically need at the moment! “The grid is actually running at near-full capacity already. We’re seeing a lot of demand,” Angela Anderson, a spokesperson for the Alberta Electric System Operator told the Edmonton Journal.
On Wednesday a new summer demand peak was set at 10,419 MW, beating the previous demand peak which was set the day before at 10,413 MW. Two large coal-fired electricity generating plants have been shut down recently for maintenance, causing a lot of stress on the system. If you’re looking for a replacement HVAC system to allow you to regulate the temperature of your property once more, perhaps have a look into different companies such as boulden brothers or other alternatives to see what new and improved systems they could install for you, in efforts to decrease energy usage and expenditure on required bills.
Why not use wind-powered generation in lieu of the coal power? Anderson commented that the calm conditions this week make wind generated power almost non-existent, especially compared to last week when it hit a new all-time record.
Read the article “Edmonton under heat advisory; Albertans asked to watch power use” that ran this week in the Edmonton Journal.
Solution 105’s Thoughts:
Although wind power is a great option for helping the system reduce emissions, this article points to the biggest problem with wind – it’s unreliable. Energy storage options like nanotech batteries are advancing, sure, but so far they are still uneconomical on a large scale. That said all energy users should be doing their part, especially when the electrical system approaches its peak during the hottest days of summer and the darkest and coldest days of winter.