4 ms·
Base load is decidedly not an obsolete concept. Renewables go to zero, and building sufficient peaking capacity to overcome a total loss of grid power would be
by hcurtiss 3y ago
Base load is decidedly not an obsolete concept. Renewables go to zero, and building sufficient peaking capacity to overcome a total loss of grid power would be preposterously expensive. Renewables spread over a large enough geography could, hypothetically, overcome variability, but nowhere in the world has developed the grid capacity (or even renewable generation capacity) to substantiate that strategy, and the odds of the US developing that kind of grid capacity are nil. There will always be a need for substantial base load generation.
- bluGill 3y agoWhat you described is NOT what baseload is about though. Once again, baseload refers to power plants that deliver exactly the same power 24x7, but only after a couple week startup process. That is not what renewables deliver. It is in fact worthless with renewables because when renewables are at their peak time of day they already provide 100% of power and baseload forces more power on top of that.
- polotics 3y agoCanadian uppercase hello here! ...Here's your baseload: https://energyeducation.ca/encyclopedia/Baseload_power#:~:text=Baseload%20power%20refers%20to%20the,needed%20power%20at%20all%20times https://energyeducation.ca/encyclopedia/Baseload_power#:~:te.... Also, I guess: what in your mind is the difference between what baseload is, and what baseload is about?
- bluGill 3y agoBaseload is a useless concept except in the context of coal powerplants that don't exist. Anything modern either follows the load without problems or has an unpredictable nature that means you don't care about averages.