Illustration of Reserve Margin

A reserve margin of a power system can be defined as the difference between capacity and demand, and can be used to measure Taipower supply system’s capability of maintaining reliable operation while meeting unforeseen increases in demand and unexpected outages of performing generators. The percentage of reserve margin set by Taiwan government is above 15%, aiming to keep the probability of power blackout less than 0.365 day per year.

According to the Electricity Act amended in 2016, in the future, considering the changing environment, “Electric Reliability Council” will continue to examine and modify, if necessary, the reserve margin; and the Bureau of Energy, MOEA, will disclose the new standard of reserve as it is modified.