Intermittency

How it is used

A common topic in grid planning and in debates about renewables. People speak of intermittent renewables and variable renewable energy (VRE), managed with storage, flexible plants, interconnections and demand response. Many engineers prefer the word variability.

Example sentences

1. Battery storage helps us manage the intermittency of solar output.

2. Critics of wind power often focus on intermittency, but forecasting has improved a lot.

Common collocations

• manage intermittency
• intermittent renewables
• variable renewable energy
• intermittent generation

Related terms

• energy storageTechnologies that capture energy when it is available and release it later when it is needed, such as batteries, pumped hydro and thermal storage.
• curtailmentReducing the output of a power plant, usually wind or solar, below what it could produce, because the grid cannot take the power or there is too much supply.
• dispatchableDescribing a power source whose output can be started, raised or lowered on request, such as gas, reservoir hydro or batteries, unlike weather-dependent solar and wind.
• demand responseChanging when or how much electricity consumers use in response to price signals or requests from the grid operator, for example reducing factory load during a peak.
• smart gridA power network that uses digital sensors, communication and automation to monitor and control electricity flows, making the grid more efficient and flexible.

More terms: Grid, Transmission and Distribution

• grid
• transmission line
• substation
• load
• peak demand
• power outage
• distribution network
• transformer
• blackout
• grid connection
• frequency
• high voltage