Weather is a main driver of the demand for electricity. Hot Georgia summers mean higher demand to keep the air conditioning cooling. Cold winter days increase demand to keep furnaces heating.
Therefore, GSOC uses a load forecast to help us predict the system load requirements. It's updated every hour to follow our daily cycles. This way, our operators can accurately plan how much generation will be needed and if a generation unit needs to be brought online.
Using the load forecast allows us to do a better job of next-hour generation planning and dispatching. Once generated, the electricity then is transmitted where it's needed.