Equalizing basin

A balancing reservoir is the water balance under a discontinuously operated hydroelectric power plant. This may be part-load flow power plants or storage power plants.

Function

It overlooks the water power plant uses only a few hours a day. Attempts are often made to produce only possible peak current. At the hours with low power consumption, the water power plant shut down to save what existing in the headwater water for their valuable peak current times.

The underwater but would fall mainly dry during standstill of the turbines. It threatens an extreme low tide. This would cause serious problems.

In general, the power plant operator is therefore now ordered to wear by a balance ensure that a defined minimum water flow is always released into the underwater. While the turbine maturities ( peak power generation ) fills the compensating basin, while the turbine downtime it empties gradually.

Often these are in equalization tanks to small dams that have been arranged underneath the large, actual dam.

The light emitted from the equalization tank in the underwater water can be used in a hydroelectric power plant.