[GBA]

...everyone is encouraged to turn off their lights for an hour — saving some electric energy in the short term while hopefully encouraging all to ponder and act on environmental issues in the long term.

Please correct me if I am wrong, but turning off the lights won't save electricity, just the person's electric bill. The electricity will still be produced, just not used. Electricity isn't stored and doesn't hang around waiting for someone to turn on a light.

If I'm not mistaken, the electricity you use is produced more or less when you use it, based more on anticipated demand than on actual, so not all produced electricity does work. Use it or lose it.

[Fichori]

“Please correct me if I am wrong, but turning off the lights won't save electricity, just the person's electric bill. The electricity will still be produced, just not used. Electricity isn't stored and doesn't hang around waiting for someone to turn on a light.

If I'm not mistaken, the electricity you use is produced more or less when you use it, based more on anticipated demand than on actual, so not all produced electricity does work. Use it or lose it.”

Incorrect, to a degree.

Lets say you get your power from a hydroelectric plant.

When you turn on your dryer, the power plant must increase the water flow required to maintain operating voltage.

If everyone stopped using electricity, they would be required to dump water.


On the flip side...

In a coal or oil fired power plant, the amount of fuel burned is proportional to the amount of power used.

Basically, the greater the load on a generator, the more energy you must put into the shaft to maintain a constant output voltage.


So, things that cannot be 'throttled' like hydroelectric, solar, and wind, are 'use it or lose it'.

Things like coal, oil, and nuclear are 'use as needed'.

Hope that makes sense.