TORONTO – As people around the world gathered to acknowledge the sacrifice of military veterans on November 11, residents in Ontario who paused for a moment of silence left an impact beyond the sombre act of remembrance.
At 11 a.m. the electricity demand in Ontario dropped 350 Megawatts according to the Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO).
Martine Holmsen, an IESO spokesperson, said the Remembrance Day effect occurs when a the population is focusing on a common event.
“This is an effect we see in a number of scenarios where everyone is focusing on one thing. With Remembrance Day people are taking a moment to pause and reflect so their using less electricity. There computers may be on but they aren’t searching on Google,” said Holmsen. “People are going out to memorials, they are outside and again not using electricity and we can see that in the consumption data.”
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Holmsen said an event like the Men’s Hockey finals at the Vancouver Olympics is another scenario where the IESO can see sharp spikes and drops in energy usage.
“When Sidney Crosby scored the goal, when there are intermissions, we can actually see a drop or increase in the demand for power,” she said.
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