What happens to excess electricity generated in the UK which isn sold abroad or stored?
Technically there is no such thing as excess electricity. What is produced is consumed. There might be excess generating *capacity*, but for the vast majority of the time, generated electric power exactly meets demand. Demand is estimated daily, and over a 24-hour period each day. When demand is estimated low, generators are turned off as necessary, steam generation is throttled back. When demand is estimated higher, more steam is produced, more generators are turned on as necessary. Occasionally demand exceeds estimates, and the possiblility of a brown-out might occur. Occasionally demand is less than expected and generators will tend to overrun, so regulators and governers ‘kick in’ to slow them down. Steam for the turbines is then shunted off directly to cooling towers. .
Technically there is no such thing as excess electricity. What is produced is consumed. There might be excess generating *capacity*, but for the vast majority of the time, generated electric power exactly meets demand. Demand is estimated daily, and over a 24-hour period each day. When demand is estimated low, generators are turned off as necessary, steam generation is throttled back. When demand is estimated higher, more steam is produced, more generators are turned on as necessary. Occasionally demand exceeds estimates, and the possiblility of a brown-out might occur. Occasionally demand is less than expected and generators will tend to overrun, so regulators and governers ‘kick in’ to slow them down. Steam for the turbines is then shunted off directly to cooling towers. .
