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> relatively inefficient but flexible turbines (usually natural gas). Actually, natural gas plants are at least as efficient as coal. They're just more expensi
by brazzy 14y ago
> relatively inefficient but flexible turbines (usually natural gas).
Actually, natural gas plants are at least as efficient as coal. They're just more expensive, especially if you turn them on and off a lot, which is pretty bad for the lifetime of a lot of components.
- hga 14y agoDepends on the kind of plant, there's baseline gas plants that heat water to steam and thence to steam turbines, they're akin to coal plants, high capital costs, low operating costs. Then there are straight gas turbines, akin to the ones that power jet airplanes but more like the ones that power most of the US Navy's ships. These have lower capital costs but higher operating costs and are used for peaking.