Energy which cannot be stored or prevented from generation is referred to as dump energy. This energy may or may not be real waste energy. In the case of a solar energy production facility, for example, energy produced on a cool, sunny day may not be completely used by the customer base served by the solar array. Since the solar array would be operational whether or not the energy was used, no real waste occurs. In most cases, however, dump energy represents real system waste, and is avoided whenever possible.

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