Generation and distribution of electrical energy

 Generation and distribution of electrical energy 

Patch notes: V 0.2.09.085

A power generation plant should meet demand rather than generating any arbitrary amount of energy for several key reasons:

  • Operational Efficiency: Generating only the amount of energy required to meet current demand ensures efficient plant operation. Unnecessary overproduction can result in energy and resource losses.
  • Economy: Generating more energy than needed involves additional costs associated with the production, transmission, and distribution of that surplus energy. Meeting demand adjusts operational costs and maintains economic efficiency.
  • System Stability: Maintaining a balance between supply and demand is essential for the stability of the electrical system. Energy excess can lead to issues such as overvoltage and unstable frequencies, impacting the reliability of the electrical supply.

In summary, energy generation should be precisely adjusted to demand to ensure operational, economic, and environmental efficiency, as well as to maintain the stability of the electrical system.

Order of actions

1. Electric power generation

2. Absorption of excess energy

3. Transformation and distribution


Excess energy generated

Excess energy generated in a power generation plant refers to a situation where the energy production exceeds the current demand. This can occur due to fluctuations in energy demand, operational conditions of the plant, or the intermittent nature of some energy sources, such as solar or wind. It is crucial to address this excess energy to maintain the stability of the electrical system.

Resistance banks are devices designed to absorb and dissipate the excess generated energy. When there is surplus energy in the grid, resistance banks are activated to convert the unused electrical energy into heat. This process helps balance supply and demand, preventing issues such as overvoltage that could damage electrical equipment and ensuring system stability.

In summary, excess generated energy can be efficiently absorbed and managed through resistance banks, playing a crucial role in the regulation and stability of the electrical grid.

Energy transformation

Transformers are used in a power generation plant for several fundamental reasons. Firstly, they allow the adjustment of voltage levels to optimize the efficiency of electrical energy transmission and distribution. By stepping up the voltage using transformers before long-distance transmission, energy losses on transmission lines are reduced, as power is proportional to the square of the current, and increasing voltage decreases current.

Secondly, transformers facilitate the adaptation of voltage levels across different stages of the electrical system. In power generation, electricity is often generated at relatively low voltages, and step-up transformers increase this voltage to levels suitable for efficient transmission. Subsequently, in substations near consumption centers, step-down transformers are used to decrease the voltage to safe and practical levels for domestic and industrial distribution.

In summary, transformers play a crucial role in enabling the efficient transmission of electrical energy across different stages of the system, minimizing energy losses, and adapting voltage levels as needed.

Changes made to the game

  • The energy generated must not exceed the demand: to achieve this, reduce the power of the reactor or divert the surplus to the resistor banks.
  • The energy generated must be transformed before being delivered to the electrical grid: to achieve this, it uses energy transformers.
  • The energy generated that cannot be delivered or absorbed by the resistor banks will seriously damage the generating turbine, the intermediate hubs and the internal and distribution cables of the plant.

Resistor Banks

Each resistor bank contains four resistance blocks and a cooling system. The absorbed energy is transformed into heat and then dissipated by the cooling system. If the bank fails to dissipate the heat from the absorbed energy, it will degrade and the resistance blocks could burn out.

The absorption capacity of a resistance bank is given by the number of resistance blocks installed and in good condition. A burned resistance block decreases the absorption power by 25%.

Attention: AO can repair the resistor bank, but cannot replace the burned resistance blocks. That is an exclusive task of the plant operator.


Energy transformers

Power transformers have some capacity to process and step up the voltage of the power generated by the turbines. If this capacity is exceeded, the power transformer will degrade. A degraded power transformer will not be able to step up the voltage efficiently.