Re: Grand Apagon - Electricity (not) in Spain

On Fri, 2 May 2025 02:54:39 +0200, "Carlos E.R."
<robin_listas@es.invalid> wrote:

On 2025-05-02 00:16, Don Y wrote:

On 5/1/2025 2:28 PM, Carlos E.R. wrote:

On 2025-04-30 11:57, Don Y wrote:

A *small* "whole home" generator is about 14KW.  OK if you are
careful with your sequencing loads.  A normal home service is 24KW.

>
A typical home in Spain (a flat) is typically limited to 3.45 KW. Mine
is nominally limited to 2.3 Kw. Affluent or bigger homes could be 5.75KW.

 
A smaller home may have a 60A service (~14KW).  The 100A service
(24KW) tends to be the norm (in older developments).  Newer homes
have 200A services (48KW).
 
We tend to be bigger energy consumers than the rest of the world
(i.e., "pigs").

>
We can have as much as we want, as long as we pay. The monthly invoice
has two basic parts: a variable part, proportional to the watts we
actually use, and a fixed part, proportional to the maximum watts we
contract to have. So if we say we want a fuse of 25A on house input, we
pay 25 times K, a constant in euros.
>
Thus it pays to have a small fuse. It is not a fuse, just a calibrated
switch with a lead seal. Recently, it is some firmware in the smart meter.
>
I don't know the reasoning for this system, but the distribution company
can thus calibrate the maximum power needed, different from the
statistical max power. If the entire city maxes on power and it goes
down, we can sue. We contracted and pay for the maximum on the entire
network!

We have a similar system in the US, basically used for all utilities,
including piped natural gas, piped water, electrical power, in some
areas piped steam or hot water, and so on.

There is a charge that pays for the financial investment in equipment
and systems to generate and provide your share to you.  This cost
varies only with the size of the physical part that connects you to
those systems.  This is not typically enforced using a fuse, depending
mainly on the size and kind of use age meter that was ordered, and the
size (in amps) of your main distribution panel (where the circuit
breakers live).

And there is a charge that varies with actual consumption, which
reflects changes in the cost of what the utility is purchasing versus
making.

This is a perfectly rational scheme, because utilities are expensive
both to build and to operate, but building and operating are different
from a financial perspective.

Joe