baseload

noun base·load \ ˈbās-ˌlōd \

|Updated on: 3 Jun 2018

Definition of baseload

: the amount of power made available by an energy producer (such as a power plant) to meet fundamental demands by consumers —often used before another noun

baseload power

Wind and solar have the drag of unreliability. Unless attached to costly batteries they are useless for meeting baseload demand.
—Jonathan Fahey

Recent Examples of baseload from the Web

So when growing numbers of baseload facilities retire, that could hypothetically threaten grid reliability.

— basav sen, Fortune, "Trump Thinks Propping Up Failing Coal Is a ‘National Security’ Emergency," 31 May 2018
But Alison Silverstein, an energy consultant who helped draft a recent Energy Department study on grid reliability, countered that many coal plant today are simply expensive to operate for baseload power.

— dino grandoni, Washington Post, "The Energy 202: Coal allies call on Trump administration to use emergency powers to boost business," 14 May 2018
More ways to fatten or flatten the duck: flexibility, EVs, and demand shifting What about reducing inflexible baseload capacity [coal and nuclear plants] to make more room for renewables?

— david roberts, Vox, "Solar power’s greatest challenge was discovered 10 years ago. It looks like a duck.," 31 Mar. 2018
This is known as baseload cycling, and its cost ranges from $2 to $23 per megawatt-hour.

— randy simmons, Newsweek, "What’s the True Cost of Wind Power?," 11 Apr. 2015
Yet in 2016, according to a Western Interstate Energy Board analysis, only a small handful of plants spent more than half the year in baseload operation.

— jonathan thompson, New Republic, "Trump Is Big Coal’s Last Gasp," 21 Sep. 2017
Those plants, often referred to as baseload, have been the country’s primary source of power for decades, raising questions about how reliably the nation’s grid would function if those plants shrink to become only a minor source of power.

— timothy puko, WSJ, "Energy Department Urges Pricing Shift That Could Bolster Coal, Nuclear," 29 Sep. 2017
The very nature of baseload energy is a topic that's debated within the energy industry.

— megan geuss, Ars Technica, "Energy Secretary proposes rule to make grid managers favor coal, nuclear," 30 Sep. 2017
The Obama administration rules on mercury emissions from power plants, for example, had little to do with mercury, and everything to do with shortening the economic life of reliable-baseload coal power plants.

— WSJ, "Old King Coal May Rightly Be Merry Again," 27 Aug. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'baseload.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.