Yesterday, France broke an electricity consumption record with a peak of 88.960 megawatts at 19:00 p.m. according to RTE, manager of the French electricity network.
The previous record of consumption was dated 27 January 2006, with 86.280 MW.
The difference between these 2 values (+ 3%) equates to the production of more than 2 nuclear reactors.
This peak is linked to the current “cold wave”: temperatures recorded yesterday were 6 ° C lower than seasonal norms.
According to RTE, a drop in temperature of 1 ° C during this season “leads to an increase in electricity consumption of around 1.700 MW, ie the equivalent of double the consumption of the city of Marseille”.
Nevertheless, the peak in consumption seems to be a height (+ 3% compared to the last record of January 2006) at a time when energy savings are daily in all the media. It seems that certain technological choices are not wise, we are thinking in particular of all-electric heating and heat pumps (often sold as renewable energy) leading to overconsumption of electricity compared to wood or fossil heating.
More:
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- Record of consumption on forums