3 ms·
You don't have to load-follow when you can use the power to mine bitcoins. /s In all seriousness, nuclear power plants are also very controllable within a cert
by pclmulqdq 4y ago
You don't have to load-follow when you can use the power to mine bitcoins. /s
In all seriousness, nuclear power plants are also very controllable within a certain bound, you just can't turn them completely off or else they take a long time to turn back on. Control of power output is what reactor control rods are for. Coal power is similar - you can control the temperature of the boiler but you can't stop the turbine completely if you want to turn it back on any time soon.
- legulere 4y agoNuclear costs are predominantly fixed costs though. Reducing output makes electricity from nuclear even more expensive. On top of that it leads to faster deterioration.
- pclmulqdq 4y agoYou're busy looking for a perfect solution where there is none. The same arguments about upfront costs and usage-based depreciation apply to batteries, too, for example. They would apply to coal and natural gas plants too except that their fuel is really expensive per kWh.