Power-to-Turkey calculations for Christmas
People in the UK celebrating Christmas with a traditional meal will use the same amount of power to cook their turkey as needed to send an electric vehicle around the world more than 10,000 times, according to ChargePoint.
According to these calculations, let’s call it Power-to-Turkey or P2T for short, the same amount of power would also be enough to send an EV to the moon and back 583 times, or make 4 round trips to Mars, or finally, to power 35,996 Leafs for an entire year.
These P2T calculations might make one’s head spin: with around 66 million people in the UK, one starts to wonder how of them have gas ovens, and it all seems like an incalculable comparison.
However, P2T begins to make sense with the following statement from Chris Burghardt, Managing Director for Europe at ChargePoint who said, “What many people do not realise is the amount of energy people are using to cook their festive feast could actually power them on multiple trips around the world.”
He highlights the “important point” with the following explanation: “There has been recent concern regarding how prepared the British Electricity Grid is for the inevitable electrification of transport. As a society, we have rituals and everyday activities that put huge demands on our power infrastructure. If everyone was to cook their turkey in an oven that cooks it instantly at the exact same time in the UK there would be issues, especially considering the estimated combined capacity of around 90 GW. The thing is, they don’t!”
“The same is true with electric cars. Drivers will charge their cars as part of their personal routine – charging most of the time at work, home, and around town while running errands or holiday shopping. This will differ for each individual. Moreover, as electrical load drops overall, EVs help to balance out the load which is good for drivers and energy providers.”
Another way of looking at your P2T is that the digestively converted power in your Christmas dinner will be enough for you to ride your bicycle for a week to lose the pounds gained over the festive season. Enjoy!
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