Shopping on line can be easy, simple and save you lots of money. It can also take a lot of your time, frustrate you, and result in unwanted purchases. Now the same can be said for regular high street shopping, but with the vast opportunity presented by the Internet it will pay you to spend a few minutes reading this and understanding how to better optimize your Peaking Power Plant shopping experience:
1. Compare - without doubt the biggest advantage that the Peaking Power Plant offers shoppers today is the ability to compare thousands of Peaking Power Plant at a time. This is a great thing, but not necessarily all the time! Too much can be daunting at times so take advantage of the great comparison sites and where possible let them do the hard work for you.
2. Research - if it has been said it will be on the internet. Ignorance is no longer a justifiable reason for buying the wrong thing. Take the time to research in detail everything that you could possible want to know about
3. Testimonials - don't know anybody that has bought a Peaking Power Plant? Wrong! If the Peaking Power Plant is good the internet will let you know. Use the Internet as a friend and get testimonials before you buy.
4. Questions - Got a question about Peaking Power Plant then search the Forums, FAQ's, Blogs etc. Don't be afraid to ask .....
5. Reputation - Never heard of the company selling Peaking Power Plant? Don't worry, no reason why you should know every company in the world, but you know someone that does! Use the internet to find out what people are saying about Peaking Power Plant and build up a picture of their reputation for sales, returns, customer service, delivery etc.
6. Returns - still worried that even after all of the above your Peaking Power Plant wont be what you want? Check out the returns policy. There is so much competition now that someone, somewhere is bound to offer the terms that you are comfortable with.
7. Feedback - happy with your Peaking Power Plant then let people know, after all you are depending on others people input in your buying decision, so why not give a little back.
8. Security - check for the yellow padlock on the Peaking Power Plant site before you buy, and the s after http:/ /i.e. https:// = a secure site
9. Contact - got a question about Peaking Power Plant, or want to leave a comment then check out the sites contact page. Reputable companies have them and respond.
10. Payment - ready to pay for your Peaking Power Plant, then use your credit card or PayPal! Be aware of companies that don't accept them, there may be genuine reasons but given the huge amount of choice you have when buying online there is no reason at all not to buy via credit card or PayPal.
Peaking power plants, also known as peaker plants, are power plants that generally run only when there is a high demand, known as
peak demand, for electricity.
In the
United States, this often occurs in the afternoon, especially during the summer months when the air conditioning load is high. The peak power load generally occurs between 4pm and 5pm when people return home from work, start cooking dinner, and turn up the air conditioning. During this time many workplaces are additionally still open and consuming power.
The time that a peaker plant operates may be many hours a day or as little as a few hours per year, depending on the condition of the region's electrical grid. It is expensive to build an efficient power plant, so if a peaker plant is only going to be run for a short or highly variable time, it does not make economic sense to make it as efficient as a base load power plant. In addition, the equipment and fuels used in base load plants are often unsuitable for use in peaker plants because the fluctuating conditions would severely strain the equipment. For these reasons, nuclear power, geothermal power,
Waste-to-energy, coal, and
biofuel plants are rarely, if ever, operated as peaker plants.
Peaker plants are generally gas turbines that burn natural gas. A few burn petroleum-derived liquids, such as diesel oil and jet fuel, but they are usually more expensive than natural gas, so their use is limited. However, many peaker plants are able to use petroleum as a backup fuel. The thermodynamic efficiency of single-cycle gas turbine power plants ranges from 20 to 42%, with between 30 to 42% being average for a new plant.
For greater efficiency, a Heat Recovery Steam Generator (HRSG) is added at the exhaust. This is known as a
combined cycle plants. Cogeneration uses waste exhaust heat for process or other heating uses. Both of these options are used only in plants that are intended to be operated for longer periods than usual. Reciprocating engines are sometimes used for smaller peaker plants.
Larger peaking plants that operate for extended periods of time are almost always required to have emissions controls and monitoring equipment. Smaller plants in the 3MW range or less are often excluded from controlling their emissions due to the low number of hours they accumulate per year.
Although gas turbine plants dominate the peaker plant category, other plants may provide power on a peaking basis. Some hydroelectric plants are operated this way. Storage technologies like
pumped storage can be used to provide peak load power.
Photovoltaic arrays deliver most of their energy during peak load hours, so sometimes they are also included in the peaker class of power plants.
The opposite of a peaking plant are
Base load power plant, which operate continuously, stopping only for maintenance or unexpected outages. Intermediate plants operate between these extremes, curtailing their output in periods of low demand, such as during the night. Base load and intermediate plants are used preferentially to meet electrical demand because the lower efficiencies of peaker plants make them more expensive to operate.
Environmetally Friendly Methods
Nominally more environmentally-friendly alternative methods to meeting demand for electrical power with quick-starting fossil fueled plants are
grid energy storage techniques and
V2G technologies.
See also
References
Peaking power plants, also known as peaker plants, are
power plants that generally run only when there is a high demand, known as
peak demand, for electricity.
In the
United States, this often occurs in the afternoon, especially during the summer months when the air conditioning load is high. The peak power load generally occurs between 4pm and 5pm when people return home from work, start cooking dinner, and turn up the air conditioning. During this time many workplaces are additionally still open and consuming power.
The time that a peaker plant operates may be many hours a day or as little as a few hours per year, depending on the condition of the region's
electrical grid. It is expensive to build an efficient power plant, so if a peaker plant is only going to be run for a short or highly variable time, it does not make economic sense to make it as efficient as a base load power plant. In addition, the equipment and fuels used in base load plants are often unsuitable for use in peaker plants because the fluctuating conditions would severely strain the equipment. For these reasons,
nuclear power,
geothermal power, Waste-to-energy, coal, and
biofuel plants are rarely, if ever, operated as peaker plants.
Peaker plants are generally
gas turbines that burn natural gas. A few burn petroleum-derived liquids, such as
diesel oil and jet fuel, but they are usually more expensive than natural gas, so their use is limited. However, many peaker plants are able to use petroleum as a backup fuel. The
thermodynamic efficiency of single-cycle gas turbine power plants ranges from 20 to 42%, with between 30 to 42% being average for a new plant.
For greater efficiency, a Heat Recovery Steam Generator (HRSG) is added at the exhaust. This is known as a combined cycle plants. Cogeneration uses waste exhaust heat for process or other heating uses. Both of these options are used only in plants that are intended to be operated for longer periods than usual.
Reciprocating engines are sometimes used for smaller peaker plants.
Larger peaking plants that operate for extended periods of time are almost always required to have emissions controls and monitoring equipment. Smaller plants in the 3MW range or less are often excluded from controlling their emissions due to the low number of hours they accumulate per year.
Although gas turbine plants dominate the peaker plant category, other plants may provide power on a peaking basis. Some hydroelectric plants are operated this way. Storage technologies like
pumped storage can be used to provide peak load power. Photovoltaic arrays deliver most of their energy during peak load hours, so sometimes they are also included in the peaker class of power plants.
The opposite of a peaking plant are Base load power plant, which operate continuously, stopping only for maintenance or unexpected outages. Intermediate plants operate between these extremes, curtailing their output in periods of low demand, such as during the night. Base load and intermediate plants are used preferentially to meet electrical demand because the lower efficiencies of peaker plants make them more expensive to operate.
Environmetally Friendly Methods
Nominally more environmentally-friendly alternative methods to meeting demand for electrical power with quick-starting fossil fueled plants are grid energy storage techniques and V2G technologies.
See also
References
