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Operating reserve
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

In electricity networks, the operating reserve is the

generating capacity available to the system operator
within a short interval of time to meet demand in case a
generator goes down or there is another disruption to the
supply. Most power systems are designed so that, under
normal conditions, the operating reserve is always at
least the capacity of the largest generator plus a fraction
of the peak load.[2]

The operating reserve is made up of the spinning reserve

as well as the non-spinning or supplemental reserve:
An idealized representation of the four kinds of
The spinning reserve is the extra generating reserve power and the time intervals after an
capacity that is available by increasing the power
unexpected failure that they are in use.[1]
output of generators that are already connected to
the power system. For most generators, this
increase in power output is achieved by increasing the torque applied to the turbine's rotor.[3]

The non-spinning or supplemental reserve is the extra generating capacity that is not currently connected
to the system but can be brought online after a short delay. In isolated power systems, this typically
equates to the power available from fast-start generators.[3] However in interconnected power systems,
this may include the power available on short notice by importing power from other systems or retracting
power that is currently being exported to other systems.[4]

Generators that intend to provide either spinning and non-spinning reserve should be able to reach their
promised capacity within ten or so minutes. Most power system guidelines require a significant fraction of their
operating reserve to come from spinning reserve.[3] This is because the spinning reserve is slightly more reliable
(it doesn't suffer from start-up issues) and can respond immediately whereas with non-spinning reserve
generators there is a delay as the generator starts-up offline.[5]

In addition, there are two other kinds of reserve power that are often discussed in combination with the
operating reserve: the frequency-response reserve and the replacement reserve.

The frequency-response reserve (also known as regulating reserve) is provided as an automatic reaction to
a loss in supply. It occurs because immediately following a loss of supply, the generators slow down due
to the increased load. To combat this slowing, many generators have a governor. By helping the
generators to speed up, these governors provide a small boost to both the output frequency and the power
of each generator. However because the frequency-response reserve is often small and not at the
discretion of the system operator it is not considered part of the operating reserve.[6]

The replacement reserve (also known as contingency reserve) is reserve power provided by generators
that require a longer start-up time (typically thirty to sixty minutes). It is used to relieve the generators
providing the spinning or non-spinning reserve and thus restore the operating reserve (confusingly the
replacement reserve is sometimes known as the 30 or 60-minute operating reserve).[6]

The time periods over which all four kinds of reserve power operate is illustrated in the diagram that

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Operating reserve - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operating_reserve

accompanies this article.

See also

References
1. ^ B. J. Kirby, Spinning Reserve From Responsive Loads (http://certs.lbl.gov/pdf/spinning-reserves.pdf) , Oak Ridge
National Laboratory, March 2003.
2. ^ Jianxue Wang; Xifan Wang and Yang Wu, Operating Reserve Model in the Power Market, IEEE Transactions on
Power Systems, Vol. 20, No. 1, February 2005.
3. ^ a b c Spinning Reserve and Non-Spinning Reserve (http://www.caiso.com/docs/2003/09/08
/2003090815135425649.pdf) , California ISO, January 2006.
4. ^ WSCC Operating Reserve White Paper (http://www.wecc.biz/modules.php?op=modload&name=Downloads&
file=index&req=getit&lid=125) , Western Systems Coordinating Council, July 1998.
5. ^ The Value of Reliability in Power Systems (http://web.mit.edu/energylab/www/pubs/el99-005wp.pdf) , MIT
Energy Laboratory, June 1999.
6. ^ a b Eric Hirst, Price-Responsive Demand as Reliability Resources (http://www.ksg.harvard.edu/hepg/Papers
/Hirst_PRDReliability_04-02.pdf) , April 2002.
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