> It’s also a peak steady-state number, only achievable under optimal load conditions. For base load generation at least, these run continuously under “optimal

> It’s also a peak steady-state number, only achievable under optimal load conditions. For base load generation at least, these run continuously under “optimal conditions”. The big ones are designed to be switched on and run for decades. A turbine is a tuned system (its shape is designed for its operating conditions). For base load generation it’s important to fix those operating conditions thus getting the most output from the least input. (This is quite different for a peaker plant that needs to spin up and down relatively wuickly in response to demand, much less, say, the turbine on an aircraft or locomotive, which go up and down depending on load. They can never be anywhere close to theoretical efficiency). Just a long winded way of saying that “optimal load” is not as uncommon as one might think. Its no spherical cow.