A base load power plant is one that provides a steady flow of power regardless of total power demand by the grid. These plants run at all times through the year except in the case of repairs or scheduled maintenance. A power station (also power plant) is a facility for the generation of electric power. ... Transmission lines in Lund, Sweden Electric power, often known as power or electricity, involves the production and delivery of electrical energy in sufficient quantities to operate domestic appliances, office equipment, industrial machinery and provide sufficient energy for both domestic and commercial lighting, heating, cooking and industrial processes. ... Transmission lines in Lund, Sweden Electric power transmission is one process in the delivery of electricity to consumers. ...

Power plants are designated base load based on their low cost generation, efficiency and safety at set outputs. Baseload power plants do not change production to match power consumption demands since it is always cheaper to run them rather than running high cost combined cycle plants or combustion turbines. Typically these plants are massive enough to provide a majority of the power used by a grid, making them slow to fire up and cool down. Thus, they are more effective when used continuously to cover the power baseload required by the grid. Oil power plant in Iraq Coal power plant in China A power station (also power plant) is a facility for the generation of electric power. ...

Each base load power plant on a grid is allotted a specific amount of the baseload power demand to handle. The base load power is determined by the Load Duration Curve of the system. For a typical power system, rule of thumb states that the base load power is usually 35-40% of the maximum load during the year. A rule of thumb is an easily learned and easily applied procedure for approximately calculating or recalling some value, or for making some determination. ...

Fluctuations in power supply demand, the peak power demand or spikes in customer demand, are handled by smaller and more responsive types of power plants.

Typical power plant usage

Nuclear and coal power plants may take many hours, if not days, to achieve a steady state power output. On the other hand, they have low fuel costs. Since they require a long period of time to heat up to operating temperature, these plants typically handle large amounts of the baseload demand. A nuclear power plant (NPP) is a thermal power station in which the heat source is one or more nuclear reactors generating nuclear power. ... A fossil fuel power plant (FFPP) (also known as steam electric power plant in the US, thermal power plant in Asia, or power station in the UK) is an energy conversion center designed on a large scale for continuous operation. ...

Gas and oil power plants are much faster to start, but have less output capacity. These plants are typically scheduled to handle peak power demands since they can be ready to supply power in about 30 minutes or less. They are more expensive to operate than coal power plants. Natural gas (commonly refered to as gas in many countries, but note that gas is also an American and Canadian shortening of gasoline) is a gaseous fossil fuel consisting primarily of methane. ... Nodding donkey pumping an oil well near Sarnia, Ontario, 2001 Petroleum (from Latin petra – rock and oleum – oil), crude oil, sometimes colloquially called black gold, is a thick, dark brown or greenish flammable liquid, which exists in the upper strata of some areas of the Earths crust. ...

Hydro-electric is the fastest to respond to increasing power demands, reaching full power in about two to three minutes. These plants can provide both base load and peak load demands for power, at a relatively low cost but are limited by the amount of water available. Hydroelectricity is a form of hydropower used to produce electricity. ...

See also

• Peaker plant

Peaker power plants are power plants that generally run only when there is a high demand, known as peak demand, for electricity. ...

External links

• Base Load Power Plants - Fundamentals of Electricity
• Levelized Costs of Electricity Production by Technology
• The Energy Resources and Economics Workbook (.doc)