3 ms·

Nukes are slow from a cold start but they can throttle up and down with load. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Load_following_power_plant#Nuclear_power_plants htt

Nukes are slow from a cold start but they can throttle up and down with load. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Load_following_power_plant#Nuclear_power_plants https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Load_following_power_plant#Nuc... Modern nuclear plants with light water reactors are designed to have maneuvering capabilities in the 30-100% range with 5%/minute slope.

adrianmonk 6y ago
Wow, that's pretty fast. So 12 minutes worst case. TIL. Still, I wonder if the economics don't favor running near 100%. You've already paid the high up-front cost of the equipment, and fuel costs are low, so I assume you're better off selling excess power when possible.
- entropicdrifter 6y ago
  I'd be willing to bet there are some significant thermal efficiency losses at 100% that would push you down closer to (made up number incoming) 80% at idle
- jabl 6y ago
  Of course. Though with increasing deployment of intermittent sources like wind and solar, occasionally the wholesale price can drop lower than the marginal cost of the nuclear plant (or even negative, if said power sources receive production subsidies regardless of the wholesale price), in which case it makes sense to throttle down. Future grids with more intermittent renewables will have increasingly volatile prices, but not necessarily lower on average. So generators that can produce during high price periods (e.g. if wind and solar aren't producing much) can make a lot of money then, compensating for less income during low price periods.
AnimalMuppet 6y ago
What's the maneuvering ability of a coal plant? I looked at the article, but didn't see it.
- virtue3 6y ago
  Gas turbines are the ones that ramp the fastest and are used to handle dynamic peaky loads. Nuclear/coal are generally used as the baseline power because they're more efficient.
  - basicplus2 6y ago
    Fastest is a coal/Gas/Oil fired Steam Turbine driven power station sitting at full pressure sitting as spinning reserve

adrianmonk 6y ago

Wow, that's pretty fast. So 12 minutes worst case. TIL. Still, I wonder if the economics don't favor running near 100%. You've already paid the high up-front cost of the equipment, and fuel costs are low, so I assume you're better off selling excess power when possible.

entropicdrifter 6y ago
I'd be willing to bet there are some significant thermal efficiency losses at 100% that would push you down closer to (made up number incoming) 80% at idle
jabl 6y ago
Of course. Though with increasing deployment of intermittent sources like wind and solar, occasionally the wholesale price can drop lower than the marginal cost of the nuclear plant (or even negative, if said power sources receive production subsidies regardless of the wholesale price), in which case it makes sense to throttle down. Future grids with more intermittent renewables will have increasingly volatile prices, but not necessarily lower on average. So generators that can produce during high price periods (e.g. if wind and solar aren't producing much) can make a lot of money then, compensating for less income during low price periods.

AnimalMuppet 6y ago

What's the maneuvering ability of a coal plant? I looked at the article, but didn't see it.

virtue3 6y ago
Gas turbines are the ones that ramp the fastest and are used to handle dynamic peaky loads. Nuclear/coal are generally used as the baseline power because they're more efficient.
- basicplus2 6y ago
  Fastest is a coal/Gas/Oil fired Steam Turbine driven power station sitting at full pressure sitting as spinning reserve