For power to flow from source of generation to user, an activity known as balancing the grid occurs. Any imbalance between the power produced and the energy being consumed at millions of endpoints can cause an imbalance in the system. Grid operators can either allow the imbalance to overwhelm the system – which can cause extensive damage to the electromechanical parts of the system – or they can start to force customers off the grid with rolling blackouts. If the grid goes out of balance faster than grid operators can react, the safety equipment on the grid takes over, shutting off major swaths of the network and causing massive blackouts that can take days, weeks or longer to recover from.
To balance supply and demand, utilities have traditionally relied on central power stations, and when demand peaks, they have turned to so-called peaker plants that often run on fossil gas. But renewable energy and batteries offer cleaner ways to balance the grid. Complicated? Yes!
Learn more from the below linked article;
The power grid explained — plus demand response virtual power plants and more,… | Canary Media
