How does the plant supply 90,000 homes?
The plant does not supply any homes directly. The electricity exported is fed into the local distribution system and, once there, it will be used as demand for electricity requires. The 90,000 homes statistic is derived from the standard assumption used within the utilities industry that the average home in the UK uses 3,300 kWh of electricity per year. The plant is designed to generate 40 MW (i.e. 40,000 kW) on a continuous basis. This, after allowances for maintenance, equates to 300,000,000 kWh per year. This is equivalent to 90,000 homes at 3,300 kWh per year per household. The industry standard figure of 3,300 kWh is the subject of some debate and it has recently become clear that the actual UK average household consumption is higher, at around 4,600 kWh per household. Eco2 now accepts that this higher is more accurate. Accordingly, all future statistics will quote a lower equivalent number of households – 65,000 – based on 4,600 kWh per year per household.
