Frequently Asked Questions
1 megawatt (MW) = 1,000 kilowatts (kW) = 1,000,000 watts
With completion of the 2001-02 expansion to the plant and the addition of three 1.5 megawatt units, we now have a rated capacity of 10.5 megawatts, or 10,500,000 watts. Prior to the expansion project, we had a rated capacity of 6 MW (or 6,000,000 watts).
Peak loads on the city have increased gradually over the past 50 years, and in the past five years have leveled off just below 6 megawatts. You can see why the city made a decision to add additional capacity to the plant. Each annual high peak demand usually occurs during July or August with high air conditioning loads, particularly including startup of the schools and Sterling College during the second week in August.
“Off-season” city loads during mild months like April-May and October-November might reach 2.5 MW during the daytime hours and fall as low as 1.4 MW during the overnight hours. (There isn’t much heating or air conditioning load in the city.) Cold months like January-February might see daytime city loads of 2.5 MW and overnight loads of 3.5 MW. (Overnight heating loads and sunny daytime skies generally reverse these cold-month numbers from the warm-month loads.)
Click here to see a chart showing Sterling’s peak load growth during various years from 1954 to 2006.