I don't understand what you mean by
Quote:
|
power that isn't used is wasted
|
It's not as though it leaks out of the wall sockets. Solar power that's not used is stored by batteries or by pumping water uphill into reservoirs; Hydroelectric power that's not used is saved by cutting back on the flow of water through turbines; coal-fired generators just burn less coal as demand drops, and so on.
Yes, sure, if you're running a home gasoline-fueled generator, you'll use gas if you keep it running when you're not drawing any power from it. But much less than when it's in full operation, just as a car uses less when it's just idling, as opposed to driving at highway speed.