Hydropower

Hydropower powers modern grids by turning moving water into electricity, with dams helping control flow and boost output.

What is black start? How do you restart a grid with no electricity?

Black start featured image showing a hydroelectric plant energizing transmission lines toward a city during power-system restoration.

A blackout creates a wonderfully circular problem: the grid needs power plants to restart, but many power plants need electricity from the grid before they can start. Black start is how operators break that loop—using specially capable resources to create the first energized islands, start larger generators, reconnect transmission lines and loads, synchronize those islands, and gradually rebuild an entire power system from darkness.