Load Forecasting and Plant Economics — MCQs – EE

1. What is the main purpose of load forecasting in power systems?
(A) Reduce fuel cost
(B) Plan generation and distribution
(C) Improve transformer efficiency
(D) Reduce transmission losses

2. Which of the following is a short-term load forecasting method?
(A) Regression analysis
(B) Time series analysis
(C) End-use method
(D) Neural networks

3. Long-term load forecasting is usually required for:
(A) Daily generation scheduling
(B) Planning new power plants
(C) Hourly load dispatch
(D) Fault detection

4. Which of the following factors affects load demand?
(A) Weather and temperature
(B) Population growth
(C) Economic activity
(D) All of the above

5. In load forecasting, the term “peak load” refers to:
(A) Minimum demand in a day
(B) Maximum demand in a period
(C) Average demand
(D) Base load

6. Which of the following is a commonly used short-term load forecasting technique?
(A) End-use method
(B) Regression analysis
(C) Moving average method
(D) Econometric method

7. The base load of a power system is best supplied by:
(A) Hydro plants
(B) Peaking plants
(C) Nuclear or coal plants
(D) Diesel generators

8. What is the primary goal of plant economics in power generation?
(A) Minimize electricity losses
(B) Maximize profit and efficiency
(C) Reduce plant size
(D) Increase voltage

9. The fixed cost of a power plant includes:
(A) Fuel cost
(B) Maintenance cost
(C) Capital investment
(D) Operating labor cost

10. The variable cost of power generation depends mainly on:
(A) Plant size
(B) Fuel consumption
(C) Capital investment
(D) Land cost

11. Which of the following is considered a “peaking plant”?
(A) Coal-fired plant
(B) Hydro plant
(C) Nuclear plant
(D) Combined cycle plant

12. Load factor is defined as:
(A) Average load / Peak load
(B) Peak load / Average load
(C) Base load / Peak load
(D) Maximum demand / Energy supplied

13. Plant utilization factor is:
(A) Maximum possible energy / Actual energy generated
(B) Actual energy generated / Maximum possible energy
(C) Base load / Peak load
(D) Average load / Peak load

14. In economic load dispatch, the objective is to:
(A) Minimize fuel cost
(B) Maximize power loss
(C) Minimize peak load
(D) Equalize generation

15. Which of the following factors is considered in cost-of-electricity calculation?
(A) Fixed cost
(B) Variable cost
(C) Interest and depreciation
(D) All of the above

16. The demand factor is defined as:
(A) Maximum demand / Total connected load
(B) Average demand / Maximum demand
(C) Base load / Peak load
(D) Total energy consumed / Peak load

17. Which type of forecasting is most accurate for a few hours ahead?
(A) Long-term
(B) Medium-term
(C) Short-term
(D) Very long-term

18. Economical operation of a power plant requires:
(A) Operating at maximum capacity always
(B) Minimizing total fuel and operating cost
(C) Using only renewable energy
(D) Frequent shutdowns

19. In power plant economics, “incremental cost” refers to:
(A) Total cost of production
(B) Additional cost of producing one more unit of electricity
(C) Fixed cost per year
(D) Maintenance cost per month

20. Load forecasting can be classified as:
(A) Deterministic or Probabilistic
(B) Short-term, medium-term, long-term
(C) Both A and B
(D) Only statistical

21. In long-term load forecasting, which method considers appliance ownership and usage patterns?
(A) Time series
(B) End-use method
(C) Regression method
(D) Moving average method

22. Which of the following is NOT a type of cost in power plant economics?
(A) Fixed cost
(B) Variable cost
(C) Total cost
(D) Residual cost

23. In power plant operation, the merit order refers to:
(A) Sequence of unit outages
(B) Ranking of generating units based on incremental cost
(C) Order of maintenance schedule
(D) Grid voltage order

24. Which of the following affects short-term load forecasting accuracy the most?
(A) Long-term population growth
(B) Weather variations
(C) Capital investment
(D) Depreciation

25. The cost of electricity from a power plant is also called:
(A) Tariff rate
(B) Fuel charge
(C) Load factor
(D) Capital cost

26. Which of the following is a limitation of long-term load forecasting?
(A) High accuracy
(B) Uncertainty in economic and demographic growth
(C) Only hourly variations considered
(D) No effect of weather

27. The average cost of electricity can be reduced by:
(A) Increasing peak load
(B) Increasing plant utilization factor
(C) Reducing base load
(D) Frequent start-stop of units

28. In short-term load forecasting, which method uses historical data patterns?
(A) Regression method
(B) Time series analysis
(C) End-use method
(D) Econometric method

29. The reserve margin in power system planning is:
(A) Difference between peak demand and installed capacity
(B) Maximum demand minus average demand
(C) Base load minus peak load
(D) Energy consumption in a year

30. Which of the following is an economic criterion for power plant selection?
(A) Lowest fuel cost
(B) Minimum total annual cost
(C) Highest peak load
(D) Maximum base load