What is the difference between a hydroelectric power station and a state district power station, I give a simple and understandable explanation

Quite often you can hear how the hydroelectric power plant is abbreviated as GRES and it seems that there are no contradictions for an ordinary man in the street, but any literate a specialist will answer you that a hydroelectric power plant is a hydroelectric power station, but a state district power station is completely different, and the abbreviation stands for state regional power station. In this article I will tell you in detail what the main difference is.

So what is a hydroelectric power plant?

First, let's give a clear definition of what a hydroelectric power plant is. So, a hydroelectric power station is a hydroelectric power plant that uses water as a source of electricity. In most cases, hydroelectric power plants are erected in the beds of large rivers, dams and huge reservoirs are built.

The Sayano-Shushenskaya and Krasnoyarsk hydroelectric power plants are a striking example of classic hydroelectric power plants.

In addition, there is another type, the so-called pumped storage power plant - a pumped storage power plant. Its main feature lies in the fact that it has two reservoirs at once. In this case, the principle of operation is as follows: during the so-called peak hourly loads, water from the upper reservoir is discharged to the lower one, passing through the hydroelectric units and generating electricity.

During minimum loads (often at night), the PSP is switched to pumping mode and pumps water from the lower reservoir back to the upper one. And the main task of such stations is to smooth out peak loads in the network. Well, now let's talk about the state district power station.

What is GRES

So, the GRES is a state regional power plant. With the inexorable passage of time, the combination of the words "state district" lost its meaning, and the systems began to be called condensation (IES) or hydrorecirculation stations (GRES) of high power.

In such stations, the main source of energy is gas, coal, fuel oil or peat. That is, the process of fuel combustion takes place, which heats the water to the state of steam, which, in in turn, makes the turbine generators rotate and thus the production electricity.

The peculiarity of such stations is that they operate in the so-called "basic mode", that is, its load is constant and covers its basic component.

This is the main difference between GRES and HPPs. I hope this article was helpful to you.

Thank you for your attention!