The biggest effect if everyone turns on the lights at the same time would be an increase in the demand for electricity, since most people in the world use it to make their lights work.
Electricity is a form of energy that is generated using various fuels. Electrical plants are facilities that produce electricity from sources such as coal, natural gas, uranium, water, wind and sunlight. Then, this energy is introduced into a transmission and distribution network called Red Electrica, which supplies it to homes and companies.
To maintain system stability, electricity must be supplied according to demand. When someone lights a light, it consumes energy from the network, and a generator must immediately provide the same amount of energy. If the system is unbalanced, even for a few seconds, a blackout can occur.
System operators use sophisticated sensors and computers to monitor electric demand and adjust production as necessary. The total energy demand, known as load, varies considerably from an hour to another and from one station to another.
To understand it, think about how much electricity your home consumes during the day compared to midnight, or during a heat wave in summer in front of a fresh autumn day.
Satisfy a demand increase
If everyone turned on the lights at the same time worldwide, a huge and sudden demand for electricity would be generated. The power plants would have to quickly increase their generation to avoid a collapse of the system, but each type of central responds differently to the changes in demand.
Coal and nuclear power plants can generate large amounts of electricity at almost any time, but if they are out of maintenance or failures, their restart may take many hours. In addition, they respond slowly to changes in load.
Centrals that burn natural gas can adapt more quickly, so they are usually used to cover demand peaks, such as hot summer afternoons.
Renewable sources such as solar, wind and hydroelectric plant generate less pollution, but are not so easy to control, since they depend on variable conditions such as sun or wind.
Network operators use great capacity batteries to regulate energy flow, but it is currently not possible to store enough electricity in them to supply an entire city: they would be too expensive and quickly run out.
On the other hand, some hydroelectric plants pump water to lakes during low demand periods and subsequently release it to generate electricity, passing it through turbines.
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Total collapse?, Unlikely
Fortunately, if everyone turned on their lights at the same time, two factors could avoid a total collapse. First, there is no single world electricity network. Most countries have their own networks or several regional networks.
Neighboring networks, such as those of the United States and Canada, are usually interconnected, allowing electricity to be shared between countries. However, these connections can be disconnected rapidly, so it is unlikely that all networks collapse simultaneously.
Secondly, in the last 20 years LED bulbs have replaced many old lamps. LEDs work differently from traditional bulbs and produce more light per unit of electricity, consuming less network energy.
According to the US Department of Energy, the use of LED bulbs saves the average home about $ 225 a year. In 2020, almost half of American households used LED for most or all of their lighting needs.
More light, less stars
In addition to feeding the lights, it is also important to think about where all that light goes. A sudden increase in lighting would generate a remarkable increase in the glow of heaven, that luminous mist that covers towns and cities at night.
The glow of heaven occurs when the light is reflected in the mist and in dust particles in the air, generating a diffuse brightness that opaque the night sky. Light is difficult to control: for example, it can be reflected on surfaces such as windows or pavements.
Frequently, night lighting is excessive. Think of empty office buildings with the lights lit 24 hours a day, or in street lamps that illuminate upwards instead, on streets and sidewalks that do require lighting. Even well -designed systems can contribute to the problem, making cities visible from space … and invisible stars from Earth.
This light pollution can affect human health by altering natural sleep and vigil cycles. It can also disorient insects, birds, sea turtles and other wild animals.
If everyone turned on the lights at the same time, there would be a slight increase in energy consumption, but a large amount of brightness in the sky … and no visible star. It would not be a very attractive view.
*Harold Wallace He is a curator of the electricity collections of the National Museum of American History of the Smithsonian Institute.
This article was originally published in The Conversation
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