Dispatchable generation is electricity production that operators can adjust to help meet demand, increasing or reducing output when needed. Gas-fired power plants are a common example; some other generators, such as hydropower, can also be dispatchable. This contrasts with wind and solar, whose output depends on weather and daylight.
Grid operators use dispatchable sources to balance supply and demand when renewable output falls or consumption rises. In systems serving continuous loads such as data centers, they can help cover periods when storage, imports, or demand management are insufficient. Dispatchable generation can support reliability, but fossil-fuel plants produce greenhouse gas emissions, so relying on them may complicate decarbonization goals.