Question

1. In Scotland, the Cruachan Power Station stores 10 million cubic metres of water in an elevated reservoir (it is a pumped-storage station). That water can be released to flow downhill and then through turbines, producing a maximum 440 Megawatts of electrical power for up to 22 hours. The power station can go from zero to maximum output in as little as 30 seconds. Is such a facility well suited to supplying baseload power, or is it best used in some other role? Explain. [2 Marks]

Answer 1

An ideal baseload power source must be capable of generating a fixed amount of power for all the 24x365 hrs in a year. Usually a conventional power source is selected to act like a baseload power source, providing a fixed generation faster ramp is not necessary. Base plant has very low ramp rate (in minutes) and takes a day to start. Hydro power station considering as a renewable energy which is capable of generating for almost 24hr a day can be used as a baseload power generation if those resources are available. Given its shorter ramp rate, quantum and its ability to generate intermediate value of generation it can be used as peakload power generation source which serves a greater purpose than baseload power and can also be used to stabilise the grid in account of any fault or collapse owing to its faster ram rate.