The capital’s power demand fell by 1,000MW on Saturday, according to
the State Load Dispatch Centre. The “phenomenal” dip is attributed
to the Earth Hour observed by Delhi on Saturday evening and the rain that
brought the mercury down by a few notches.
As Delhi joined over 2,000 cities worldwide to observe Earth Hour by switching
off lights between 8.30 and 9.30 pm, the cool weather made it a sweat-free
experience. “The dip in temperature ensured a drop in power demand too.
Coupled with the electricity saved during the Earth Hour, it brought down
Delhi’s total consumption by over 1,000MW,” said a senior official
of the power department. While the department is yet to ascertain as to exactly
how much power did the Earth Hour save, officials estimate it to be 250 to
300 MW. “I was monitoring the situation last evening and there was a
considerable dip in demand. We have to also take into account the cool weather
on Saturday,” said Power Secretary Rajendra Kumar.
He added that power distribution companies played a big role in spreading
awareness about Earth Hour. “On Saturday, we sent out over 6 lakh text
messages,” said a BSES spokesperson. President welfare associations
(RWAs) were roped in too. “We held workshops for various RWAs and requested
them to observe Earth Hour,” said an NDPL spokesperson. The distribution
companies are certainly overwhelmed by the response they received.
