Peak demand
The highest demand within a particular period.
A point marks the maximum on an illustrative daily demand curve. No real measurements are shown.
Peak demand is the maximum electrical demand measured or forecast over a stated time interval and period. Networks and resources must be planned to serve high-demand conditions reliably.
The maximum depends on the window
A peak is meaningful only with a stated period and measurement interval. An annual peak based on half-hour averages is different from a brief instantaneous maximum. Forecast and measured peaks are different quantities as well.
The highest demands of individual customers do not necessarily happen together. A network’s coincident peak reflects their combined demand at one time, which can be smaller than the sum of their separate maxima.
Why it matters
The demand that occurs together helps determine how much network and supply capacity is needed.