Dumping the electrical energy directly isn't very practical (or safe) and probably doesn't work the way you think it does. Thermal power station dump heat directly into the air/water in this case rather than creating the electricity in the first place. Power plants have to match production to demand.
There is no need to dump energy. They just turn the power plant down. Same as if you are heating your house and it's too hot, you just turn the heater down. This all happens automatically anyway, it's normally a legal requirement when connecting a power plant to the grid that it can be turned down if needed.
The only way to “dump” the energy is to attach more load to dump it into. This could be in the form of batteries, pumped storage, hydrogen generators or anything else. The limiting factor is often the cost of installing new transmission lines. The cost of transmission is often much higher than the cost of generation for renewables.
The energy has to go somewhere. Power grids can deal with small mismatches in supply and load by allowing the frequency to deviate. A drop in frequency has the effect of reducing the load due to non-ELI5 effects like inductive reactance.
With renewable energy on the rise, many electric utilities—especially those dependent on fossil fuels—are facing a crisis. Some are embracing the challenges necessary to implement new
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Electric power sector power plants that burned fossil fuels or materials made from fossil fuels, and some geothermal power plants, were the source of about 31% of total U.S. energy-related
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The only way to “dump” the energy is to attach more load to dump it into. This could be in the form of batteries, pumped storage, hydrogen generators or anything else.
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Even as utilities have concentrated their power, the means to generate electric power has dispersed. Acting individually or collectively, Americans have a new opportunity to bypass concentrated power
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Companies specializing in energy generation via biomass waste have the agriculture and forestry industries open to them; those focusing on biofuel production can find takers in the shipping and
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Burning waste to generate heat and electricity was deemed the UK''s “dirtiest form of power” in a BBC investigation in October 2024, after the country''s last coal plant closed the month
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While renewables get most of the heat for dumping, even traditional plants aren''t immune. In 2021, a Texas gas plant had to flare excess methane (a.k.a. burn money) during a demand slump.
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Swapping some of our traditional electric generation for new sources will drive changes on many fronts. This article highlights some of the challenges for solid waste management as
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The following graph shows the 10-year trend in quantities of TRI chemical waste that electric utility facilities managed, primarily through treatment or release.
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As it turns out, they get dumped into landfills, polluting our environment. The Argus Leader reports that Iowa wind energy companies are bringing old wind turbines to Sioux Falls, South Dakota
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