- #1
fog37
- 1,548
- 107
- TL;DR Summary
- Understand the idea of storing energy when energy is not being instantly used and "sending it back" to the power plant.
Hello,
When discussing alternative sources of energy, like solar, wind, etc., we often hear that if the energy produced by these sources which is not immediately used, can be "sent" to the power plant and used later... I don't think the idea that is energy being transferred "somewhere" and stored "somewhere" is accurate at all. What is happening exactly? For example, let's consider wind energy: kinetic energy is converted into "electrical energy which could be either stored in a battery or "sent back" to the power plant. Or solar energy produced by solar panels and not being used by our home turning the meter backward..
What happens exactly when energy is not being used and said to be "stored"? At the power plant, I see how nuclear, coal, etc. are eventually producing hot and high pressure water vapor that spins turbine which in turn produce electricity that is used by people through the grid (which is just a big network of wires). By connecting devices to the grid in parallel, we "use" electricity and pay for it. Sometimes, the energy request is larger than other times. What happens at the power plant in that case?
Thanks for any clarifications.
When discussing alternative sources of energy, like solar, wind, etc., we often hear that if the energy produced by these sources which is not immediately used, can be "sent" to the power plant and used later... I don't think the idea that is energy being transferred "somewhere" and stored "somewhere" is accurate at all. What is happening exactly? For example, let's consider wind energy: kinetic energy is converted into "electrical energy which could be either stored in a battery or "sent back" to the power plant. Or solar energy produced by solar panels and not being used by our home turning the meter backward..
What happens exactly when energy is not being used and said to be "stored"? At the power plant, I see how nuclear, coal, etc. are eventually producing hot and high pressure water vapor that spins turbine which in turn produce electricity that is used by people through the grid (which is just a big network of wires). By connecting devices to the grid in parallel, we "use" electricity and pay for it. Sometimes, the energy request is larger than other times. What happens at the power plant in that case?
Thanks for any clarifications.