emperors new clothes?, page-28

Blackouts occur when the grid stops sending any voltage your way. "Brownouts" occur when the grid sends reduced voltage (usually deliberately). You still receive power, but might be 5-15% below the rated level (e.g. 220v rather than 240v).

Brownouts produce duller lighting (lower lumens), but even a small voltage reduction can cause greater problems with electrical equipment; some shut down completely below a specific voltage.

I assume that brownout power from the grid is fine for some plant requirements (e.g. lighting), but the back-up generators might need to completely replace the grid power for much equipment during brownouts.

But for RED, I think the greater problem is that the 16Kv line doesn't deliver enough power even in normal power situations, so the back-up generators continuously or often fill in the shortfall. And when there is a brownout or blackout, the back-up generators are even more in demand.