Use Operating Reserves
When this box is checked, dispatch will meet the operating reserve requirements. It will recognize the reserve requirements, and then find a set of units (when possible) to meet that requirement for operating reserve purposes.
The resources selected to meet pool spinning requirements come from those that are online (spinning) and have excess capability, hydro plants that are not operating at full capacity, and offline resources which are designated as Fast Start for Spin.
Resources selected to meet non-spin requirements will come from those that are not operating but have capability. Generally the cheapest units will be selected to provide the reserves. If both demand and the reserve requirements cannot be met, the reserve requirements will be relaxed. The default value for operating reserve requirement is 6.5% of hourly demand.
Operating reserves can also be set individually by zone using the Operating Reserve Requirement column in the Zone Definition Table.
Spinning reserves can be set by using the Spinning Reserves column in the Resources table.
Use Operating Reserves