| How It Works | Glossary of Terms | Condition Updates |
Condition Green - Enough resources are available to serve all Power
Company loads. That means that we have secured enough resources such as
natural gas to maintain power production at its generation plants, and/or
has purchased enough electricity off the western grid to meet the needs of
its service territory.Condition Yellow - Reserve deficiency and insufficient generation/transmission resources are expected the next day. The expected energy delivery shortfall is substantial. Condition Yellow is a warning condition that outages may be possible.
Condition Red - An Energy Emergency exists where there is a reserve deficiency, meaning that all available generating capacity is loaded and all operating reserves are utilized. Additionally, a condition red alert means that there are insufficient generation/transmission resources available for delivery to our transmission grid to serve all customers. The expected energy delivery shortfall is substantial and rotating outages are imminent.
Generation - The production of electricity at a power plant.
Peak Load - The maximum demand for electric power that determines how much electricity a utility must produce and/or purchase to serve its customers.
Planned Outages - These are scheduled outages that are usually required for maintenance and replacement of equipment. Affected power facilities are de-energized so the work can be completed safely.
Power Grid - The power grid is a network of long-distance, high-voltage transmission lines and substations that carry bulk electricity to local utilities for distribution to their customers.
Operating Reserves - Operating reserves are the amount of electricity generation that is available in excess of current demand.
Reserve Deficiency - When the amount of operating reserves available falls below the level required to serve customer demand in case a generating unit or transmission line fails.
Rotating Outages - An Energy Emergency that involves controlled, rotating power outages. These outages often happen with less than a few minutes of advanced warning, but they are necessary to prevent more severe consequences, such as a total collapse of the electric system.
Substation - A central location for equipment for the purpose of switching and/or changing or regulating the voltage of electricity.
System Load - The amount of electricity currently on the system.
Transformer - A device for changing the voltage of alternating electric current.
Transmission - Moving bulk quantities of electricity long distances over high voltage power lines.
© 1996- Sierra Pacific is a Sierra Pacific Resources company. |
