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How is nuclear compatible with variable renewable energy sources? It can’t ramp up or down quickly, so it’s not good for filling the gaps in the day when the su
by dangjc 6y ago
How is nuclear compatible with variable renewable energy sources? It can’t ramp up or down quickly, so it’s not good for filling the gaps in the day when the sun is not shining. And solar is now so cheap during sunny days that the excess power is curtailed or at a negative price.
- RangerScience 6y agoSan Francisco in the summer :D I kid! AFAIK you most want this kind of immense baselines power for heavy industrial activities. Also AFAIK, if these are simple/easy/small enough, you could co-locate the heavy consumption with the generation which'd cut power consumption (due to transmission) by something like 30% (on top of infrastructure maintenance savings). Kinda like Netflix putting boxes in local switches (if I have those terms correct).
- enaaem 6y agoNuclear can operate in load following mode for a long time now. It's already done in Europe. https://www.oecd-nea.org/nea-news/2011/29-2/nea-news-29-2-load-following-e.pdf https://www.oecd-nea.org/nea-news/2011/29-2/nea-news-29-2-lo...
- pfdietz 6y agoEven if nuclear could level up and down instantly, it's economically incompatible with variable renewable sources. If the plant is not operating nearly all the time the cost of power from it goes up and up.