Load-following power plant

A power plant operated to vary its electricity output as demand changes, rather than maintaining nearly constant production. Its ability to ramp output helps balance supply and demand over time.

Load following: The adjustment of electricity generation to track changes in demand over time. This operating strategy is the defining behavior of a load-following plant.
Combined-cycle power plant: A power plant that combines a gas turbine with a steam cycle to generate electricity from the same fuel. Combined-cycle units often balance efficiency with the ability to vary output.
Baseload power plant: A power plant operated to provide a relatively steady level of electricity over long periods. Its steady-output role contrasts with a plant scheduled to track changing demand.
Thermal efficiency: The fraction of fuel energy converted into useful work or electricity by a thermal process. Part-load operation can reduce a thermal plant's efficiency compared with its best operating point.
Power plant ramp rate: The speed at which a power plant can increase or decrease its electrical output. Ramp rate limits how quickly the plant can respond to a changing load.
Hydroelectricity: Electricity generated by converting the energy of moving or falling water. Reservoir hydropower can change output rapidly to follow variations in demand.
Peaking power plant: A power plant used mainly during periods of high electricity demand. Peaking units serve short demand peaks, while load-following units adjust across broader fluctuations.
Cycling costs: The added fuel, maintenance, and wear costs caused by starting, stopping, and changing a power plant's output. Frequent output changes can make load following more costly than steady operation.
Unit commitment: The process of deciding which generating units should be online to meet demand and operating constraints. Commitment schedules determine whether a plant is available to follow demand.
Nuclear power plant: A thermal power plant that uses nuclear fission to heat a working fluid and generate electricity. Some nuclear stations vary output, though their operating practices and economics differ from flexible plants.

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