New Hampshire Energy Facts 2006: Electric Power Sector

120.9 TBtu Transportation 0.0 TBtu 0.0% Commercial 49.8 TBtu 41.2% Residential 48.0 TBtu 39.6% Industrial 23.2 TBtu 19.2% 2. Actual metered electricity was 31% of the TBtu values shown. Sector percentages would not change.<br><br> See explanation below. ELECTRIC ENERGY NOTES " EFFICIENCY: 31% o The overall efficiency for the entire electric power industry nationwide, from primary energy source (water power, coal, uranium, etc.) to final user is estimated by US DOE to be 31%, which means the end user has access to about one-third of the energy that was used to generate the electricity. o Therefore, Chart 2 shows the Electric Power sector 9s gross energy INPUT allocated to each sector, not the amount of energy actually received at the end users 9 meters.<br><br> For example, the Commercial sector 9s electricity consumption of 49.8 TBtu represents approximately 31% usable electricity and 69% unavoidable energy closses d incurred in generation and in subsequent cline losses d. Thus, the actual energy used by the Commercial sector, on their side of the electric meters, is 15.6 TBtu. However, they could not receive those 15.6 TBtu unless 49.8 TBtu of energy was put into generation and transmission in the first place.<br><br> 2 o The US Department of Energy (DOE), main data source for New Hampshire Energy Facts , allocates these closses d not to the electric power sector but to the end-user sectors in proportion to the electricity consumed. This seemingly counterintuitive approach is consistent with economic analyses across the economy, where production costs are included in final retail prices. " MEASUREMENT: MegaWatts vs MegaWatt-hours o The capability to generate electricity - measured in megaWatts (MW) - is not the same parameter as the actual amount of electricity generated - which is measured as megaWatt- hours (MWh).<br><br> A simple analogy: A car 9s engine has the capability to produce a maximum amount of power at any given moment. This is the engine 9s horsepower rating, analogous to the MW rating for an electricity generating facility. However, the total amount of a car 9s power output (analogous to MWh) in a year depends not only on the horsepower, but also on how much the car was driven, and under what conditions (acceleration, idling, cruising).<br><br> This is also the case with electricity generating facilities. o Electricity generating facilities do not always operate at their rated capability (MW), nor do they operate all the time: Market conditions and maintenance requirements influence operating patterns and schedules. Therefore, the amount of electricity generated (MWh) by each kind of energy input (coal, wood, etc.) is not necessarily proportional to that energy type 9s percentage of the total generation capability mix: A given hydroelectric power plant may operate a greater or lesser number of hours than a coal-fired power plant in a particular year, for example.<br><br> " MEASUREMENT: Avoiding counting the energy in electricity twice o Including retail electricity sales (electricity end use) in NH total energy consumption would count the energy twice: first as energy inputs for generation by the Electric Power sector, and then again at final use in the other economy sectors, such as Residential. To avoid artificially inflating the State 9s total energy use, this fact must be considered in analyzing total energy consumption. Therefore, electricity end use is not included in Gross energy inputs ; see the summary table at the link below.<br><br> o At the same time, electricity consumption is important to include at the end user level in order to obtain a true picture of each economy sector 9s total energy needs, which must be met regardless of the energy 9s origins. For example, if the Residential sector reduced its use of electricity for heating water, then another energy source - such as natural gas - would be required to replace the energy no longer provided by electricity. Accordingly, each economy sector 9s electricity use 3 including the associated energy losses from generation through delivery to end user - is included in the charts that show their total energy use.<br><br> " MEASUREMENT: Why and how to include clost d energy in the economy sectors 9 total energy use o As noted above, counting the energy unavoidably clost d in generating, transmitting and distributing electricity to end users is logical, in that the end-user 9s demand for electricity led the Electric Power sector to generate the electricity in the first place. Thus, Residential electricity consumption led indirectly to the closs d of some energy along the way from generation to final delivery. o The losses are allocated among the economy sectors in proportion to their electricity consumption because the amount of clost d energy is directly proportional to the amount of electricity consumed.<br><br> The different sectors consumed different amounts of electricity; therefore, their use of electricity led, indirectly, to different amounts of clost d energy. Definitions and Technical Notes For more energy source and consumption information, see Summary of 2006 NH Energy Consumption by Source and Economy Sector . 3<br><br>

less