it was generated and shunted from fossil sources that don't have that efficiency Ahhh ... you raise an interesting point which I don't recall reading elsewhere

it was generated and shunted from fossil sources that don't have that efficiency Ahhh ... you raise an interesting point which I don't recall reading elsewhere in this discussion (but there may have been new comments posted since my previous pass thru the discussion). A newly built natural gas plant has an efficiency of perhaps 60%[1]. Recently completed nuclear plants, such as AP1000 based in China, have an efficiency of about 34%.[2] That's 60% or 34% at the source! There are additional losses from that point forward, whether the energy goes to run pumped hydro or is simply stored in batteries until needed. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Combined_cycle#Efficiency_of_CCGT_plants https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Combined_cycle#Efficiency_of_C... [2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sanmen_Nuclear_Power_Station https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sanmen_Nuclear_Power_Station