Comment by mlyle
21 hours ago
> So it all boils down to that you want a utopian communistic market where you decide what generation gets added and then averages the costs.
I want a market where we pay for things like stability or generation at certain times of day. And I want it regulated, so that we buy enough of these things. This, incidentally, is how well-functioning electric markets have operated for a long time.
> This does not work when the consumers can generate their own electricity through distributed renewables and storage.
Some consumers can, some can't. A lot of consumers and industrial users will be dependent upon a grid. It's reasonable for that common infrastructure to be regulated as a common good, and for it to be stewarded in a way that minimizes systematic risk.
Which means you won't get nuclear power as the answer because it is the worst possible answer for dispatchable/firming power. As we already concluded by calculating what Vogtle would cost when running as a peaker.
If it just goes as "baseload" then nuclear power does not solve anything. The yearly "baseload" in California is 15 GW while peak load is 50 GW. Even with 15 GW of nuclear "baseload" forcing out all renewables when it happens said renewables and firming will still need to manage 35 GW on their own when peak load happens.
Do tell me what problem a "baseload" of nuclear power would solve in the Californian grid.
Take a look at France. They generally export quite large amounts of electricity. But whenever a cold spell hits that export flow is reversed to imports and they have to start up local fossil gas and coal based production.
What they have done is that they have outsourced the management of their grid to their neighbors and rely on 35 GW of fossil based electricity production both inside France and their neighbors grids. Because their nuclear power produces too much when no one wants the electricity and too little when it is actually needed.
Their neighbors are able to both absorb the cold spell which very likely hits them as well, their own grid as the French exports stops and they start exporting to France.
So you will force $190/MWh on all industrial consumers? This will end up killing said industry. What will you do when all commercial real estate start covering their roofs and parking lots with solar to not have to deal with your abhorrent new built nuclear costs?
You also completely dodged the South Australian grid. Again:
Please do tell me, how will you nuclear plant achieve a "near 100% capacity" factor in a grid where rooftop solar alone can meet 107% of grid demand. All utility scale renewables are forced off the grid. Let alone expensive thermal plants.
This grid achieved 82% renewables in the midst of winter.
Tell me why this grid should build a nuclear plant!