Load following power plant facts for kids

A load following power plant (hydroelectric power plant) in Taiwan

A load following power plant is a power plant that can adjust the amount of electricity it generates to match the changing demand throughout the day. Load following power plants are usually in between base load power plant and peaking power plant in terms of construction cost, cost of the electricity it generates, efficiency, and capacity.

Hydroelectric power plant can be considered load following power plant.

Images for kids

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  BPA Daily Peak Load with large Hydro, base load Thermal generation and intermittent Wind power. Hydro is load-following and managing the peaks, with some response from base load thermal.