What is the purpose of 'load shedding' in a ship's electrical system?

The purpose of load shedding in a ship's electrical system is to prevent the overload of generators and maintain the stability of the power supply. Ships have a finite amount of power generation capacity, and if the demand for power exceeds this capacity, the generators can become overloaded. This overload can cause the generators to trip offline, resulting in a blackout and a loss of essential services. Load shedding is a controlled process of automatically disconnecting non-essential loads from the power system to reduce the overall demand and prevent the generators from overloading. The load shedding system typically monitors the generator's load and frequency. If the load exceeds a predetermined threshold or the frequency drops below a certain level, the system will automatically disconnect pre-selected non-essential loads, such as air conditioning, lighting, and non-critical machinery. The loads are shed in a predetermined sequence, with the least important loads being shed first. This allows the generators to continue supplying power to essential services, such as navigation equipment, steering gear, and emergency lighting. Once the overload condition has been resolved, the shed loads can be automatically or manually reconnected to the power system. Load shedding is a critical safety feature in a ship's electrical system, ensuring the continued availability of essential services during periods of high power demand or generator failure.