4 ms·

Nope. They have to be able to cope with extreme changes in load, and I think have higher precision of frequency adjustment to pull the rest of the grid into syn

Nope. They have to be able to cope with extreme changes in load, and I think have higher precision of frequency adjustment to pull the rest of the grid into sync. Some coal plants had gas turbines[0] fitted solely to allow a black start, others a ton of diesel generators. Some plants need power from the grid to kick off - nuclear for instance. Only some percentage of the grid needs cold start capability, and the rest of the grid is bootstrapped from that. [0] (edit) Think aero engine. Rolls Royce Avons were used at Didcot A, and the industrial Avon is still available after 60 years. That's the same basic engine found in the Hawker Hunter and EE Lightning.

Reason077 9y ago
I recently got to take a look around a small (~ 4MW) hydro station. Despite this being a tiny contributor to the overall grid, it is apparently a grid/regulatory requirement for them to be able to perform a black start. For that reason, all the equipment in the generator building ran on 48V DC, supported by a large bank of batteries.
- howard941 9y ago
  Additional anecdata: The sensors and controls in distribution substations are also DC although 48VDC is considered the low end in those places where it goes up to over 200V, according to the engineer from a municipal electric company met in an $OFFICE meeting Monday. The guy said they specify flooded lead acids and plan on them lasting 15 years before pre-planned change-outs.