Electrical Power Generation 101

A few things we should possibly all know if we wish to talk about energy. The national grid is not a energy storage dam. What goes into the grid comes out of the grid very shortly, almost instantaneously. Thus, the amount of power generated matches the amount of power used, apart of losses due to heating of power lines and so on. Steam turbine generators at power stations are designed to ramp up and down the power they generate according to the load to be supplied. Hydroelectric turbine generators  are similarly designed. Gas turbines are similarly designed. Large steam turbine generators can ramp up from no load to full load in about two hours. Hydroelectric turbines can go from no load to full load in about three minutes. Gas turbines take about 20 seconds.