This is an ancillary service which enables the grid to recover from a total shutdown. Power station auxiliary equipment must be supplied with power before the main generators can be started, power stations that provide black start capability are fitted with stand-by generators which can self-start and so energise the grid.
A rapid start-up of an off-line, idle, non-spinning electric generation source.
Black Start refers to the starting of a power system with its own power sources, without the assistance from external power supplies.
Certain generators have the ability to black start, meaning they can restart their generation plant with no electrical input if the system has blacked out. Generators without this capability require power from the grid to restart their generating plant.
The provision of generating equipment that can be started without an outside electrical supply. Black start capability allows a defined portion of the transmission system to be energized following a system blackout, so that it can then be synchronized to the rest of the IMO-controlled system in the process of restoring transmission system operation.