Post: Managing the grid and the TV pick-up effect

Managing the grid and the TV pick-up effect

England’s strong showing in the EURO 2020 championships has seen Britain glued to the TV. But what impact does it have on the grid when a nation collectively sits down in front of their screens? It’s called the TV pick-up effect.

During major events that draw large audiences there is a surge in electricity demand during natural breaks as people put on the kettles and open the fridges. Most recently this phenomenon has been demonstrated during UEFA EURO 2020 matches.

At half-time during the England V Germany match on 29 June, the grid saw around a 1GW spike in electricity demand, this was followed by around a 1.6GW peak after the match ended.

Source: National Grid ESO

The graph above shows the actual demand compared to the forecast as the match progressed.

In the run up to the match, National Grid ESO paid pumped storage stations to meet the daily demand peak surge. Given it was tight game well into the second half, the actual demand varied significantly from the forecast with the trough being much more significant than forecast and the expected full-time peak occurring later than predicted.

As expected, there was a peak in demand during half time, causing the grid’s frequency to drop to 49.86 Hz. To stabilise this, GridBeyond’s customers responded by providing additional flexibility to the grid via fast frequency services. Due to the complexity of the management of the demand asset’s capabilities, this sub-millisecond response requires the most sophisticated of technology,

Ahead of the semi-final match tonight, National Grid ESO provided updated forecasts for demand. They highlight the difference between energy consumption during the match against Germany, compared with power demand during the game with Ukraine.

While England will be hoping for success tonight against Denmark, whatever happens GridBeyond and our clients will be ready to respond and make sure the televisions stay on.

Source: National Grid ESO

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