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Note that solar and wind power are NOT alternatives to the predictable base load of nuclear, hydro, or fuel burning power generation.


"Steve Holliday, CEO National Grid: “The idea of large power stations for baseload is outdated”"

https://energypost.eu/interview-steve-holliday-ceo-national-...


This is a sales pitch from someone who makes a living from selling grid capacity.


But is it true or not?


I'm not sure he's lying on purpose. But it's pretty common that people just stop thinking further when someone tells him what they want to hear.

The article certainly dismisses the need for storage way too easily, imo. It claims that consumption can be adjusted to match supply. There are not that many uses of electricity where you can simply lower your consumption when the supply is low.

There are some cases, like car batteries that can, sort of, be seen as consumption, but unless your car has some extreme storage capacity, you typically want to be able to recharge it when YOU need to have that range, instead of when the power company has additional supply.

And if you don't want to use fossil fuels for heating, the power saved by not charging your car is NOT enough to keep your house warm for a few cold days with no winds (unless you live in a place with no real winter).




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