Electrical Engineering ⇒ Topic : Base Load and Peak Load

Base Load and Peak Load

Figure (a) shows the typical load curve of a power station. From this figure, it is clear that the load on power station varies from time to time.

                                     Figure (a) Variable load.

(1) Base load: It is defined as the unvarying load that occurs almost the whole day on the station.

(2) Peak load: It is defined as the variation of demands of load over and above the base load of the station.

To meet the requirement of total load, i.e., base and peak load and to get overall economy, the best method is to interconnect the two different power stations. A more efficient plant is used to supply the base load and it is called base load power station. The less efficient plant is used to supply the peak load and it is called peak load power station