If everyone in the world turned on the lights at the same time, what would happen?

This article was originally published at The Conversation. The publication contributed the article to Space.com's Expert Voices: Op-Ed & Insights.

The biggest effect of everyone turning lights on at once would be a surge in demand for electricity, which most people worldwide use to operate their lights.

Electricity is a form of energy that is made using many different fuels. Power plants are electricity factories that generate electricity from sources including coal, natural gas, uranium, water, wind and sunlight. Then they feed it into a network of transmission and distribution wires called the power grid, which delivers the electricity to homes and businesses.

To keep the grid stable, electricity must be supplied on demand. When someone turns on a light, they draw power from the grid.