5 ms·

> intermittency What's the uptime for fission plants? I recall that our "local" nuclear power plant (Trojan https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trojan_Nuclear_Power_

> intermittency What's the uptime for fission plants? I recall that our "local" nuclear power plant (Trojan https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trojan_Nuclear_Power_Plant https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trojan_Nuclear_Power_Plant ) being down more often than it was up. Maybe it's because it was an old design or something, but it went online in 1975 which doesn't seem that old. It operated from 1975 to 1992.

version_five 5y ago
Normally there are multiple reactors and scheduled shutdowns. This is true for any power source. I'm sure there are differences in maintenance efficiency vs coal or hydro, but it's a different question than short term fluctuation that are a characteristic of wind and solar.
Manuel_D 5y ago
The uptime (or capacity factor) for fission plants is the highest of any energy source, at over 90% [1] [2]. By comparison, wind and solar at at 35% and 25% respectively. 1. https://www.statista.com/statistics/183680/us-average-capacity-factors-by-selected-energy-source-since-1998/ https://www.statista.com/statistics/183680/us-average-capaci... 2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capacity_factor#Worldwide https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capacity_factor#Worldwide
- pngai 5y ago
  Also most downtime for nuclear power is scheduled which helps the grid operator avoid blackouts.
  - lovemenot 5y ago
    Somehow I doubt those figures reflect disaster response downtime, such as we have had in Japan for a decade. One may argue that was an overreaction, but the people of Japan beg to differ. Regardless, those shut down reactors ought to drag down capacity factor for the nuclear industry, if the figures are to be credible. Wind doesn't always blow and people react badly to melt-down. These are both facts of life.
  - godelski 5y ago
    For anyone curious, usually down time is a month every 12-18 months. They refuel, do maintenance, and inspections during this time as well. Usually plants have more than one reactor, so these will be out of phase with one another.

version_five 5y ago

Normally there are multiple reactors and scheduled shutdowns. This is true for any power source. I'm sure there are differences in maintenance efficiency vs coal or hydro, but it's a different question than short term fluctuation that are a characteristic of wind and solar.

Manuel_D 5y ago

The uptime (or capacity factor) for fission plants is the highest of any energy source, at over 90% [1] [2]. By comparison, wind and solar at at 35% and 25% respectively. 1. https://www.statista.com/statistics/183680/us-average-capacity-factors-by-selected-energy-source-since-1998/ https://www.statista.com/statistics/183680/us-average-capaci... 2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capacity_factor#Worldwide https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capacity_factor#Worldwide

pngai 5y ago
Also most downtime for nuclear power is scheduled which helps the grid operator avoid blackouts.
- lovemenot 5y ago
  Somehow I doubt those figures reflect disaster response downtime, such as we have had in Japan for a decade. One may argue that was an overreaction, but the people of Japan beg to differ. Regardless, those shut down reactors ought to drag down capacity factor for the nuclear industry, if the figures are to be credible. Wind doesn't always blow and people react badly to melt-down. These are both facts of life.
- godelski 5y ago
  For anyone curious, usually down time is a month every 12-18 months. They refuel, do maintenance, and inspections during this time as well. Usually plants have more than one reactor, so these will be out of phase with one another.