Posted on 08/02/2015 10:01:12 AM PDT by E. Pluribus Unum
Fireplaces don’t do much when it is minus 30 outside.
The entire isolated grid in Texas came within a hair’s breadth of collapsing a few years ago when the wind suddenly died down across the state. Grid stability depends on a mix of sources that can be dispatched on demand. As you say, “renewables” simply cannot do that. So you have to pay for two systems — the wind / solar PLUS natural gas fired backup for those times when the unicorn power goes off. From a systems perspective, you couldn’t make a more stupid decision than to add wind and solar to the system.
This past week in Dallas they were broadcasting for everyone to turn up the AC to 80 and not use any appliances until after 7pm—yeah right. The power source was not holding up, then one report at the end said part of the problem had been the lack of wind.
Greece has an economy about the size of Phoenix.... scary to watch but it’s nothing.
Switch to that unicorn power
Unicorns on treadmills, that should do it. We would feed them corn, we won’t need it for ethanol anymore as all cars and trucks will be battery powered, and we can use the unicorn crap to fertilize the corn.
“We lose cheap energy, we lose our civilization. The stakes couldnt be higher.”
What’s needed is next-gen nuclear power. Whether or not CO2 poses a problem, coal is a nasty fuel that’s the major source of organic mercury in the environment. Most current plants also spew plenty of particulates into the air, which are a major source of health problems and death.
In the best capitalist tradition of the US, several companies are working on meltdown-proof, small footprint, scalable nuclear reactors that don’t even require water for cooling. They stand to revolutionize energy production with rates as low as 3¢ per KWH.
Nuclear will provide the reliable, non-stop energy needed as US demand increases during the decades ahead. Wind power, on the other hand, is a bad joke.
We had coal-powered back up plants, but Obama has shut them down.
Coal units cannot respond quickly enough to collapsed wind. You need NG fired CTs. But point taken about Obunghole shutting down coal.
Nothing is going to respond fast “enough” to collapsed win.
Gosh...you people are such boneheads...
Who needs coal or NG energy...all that solar power pumping out KW’s by the billions keeping us nice and toasty in the new mini ice age...
or...
Just turn on your windmill on top of your house when those polar wind storms pummel your home...
Lack of wind in Texas?...invite Obozo down to give a speech.
Natural Gas does. It can ramp up incredibly quickly.
More like Richmond or Hunters Point
We have Got to STOP him!
Yeh no kidding. We are getting ready to move to the mountain retreat with the toasty woodstove. :-)
Flashback to 2009:
Although Mr Obama is famous for his “cool” demeanour, the temperature of the White House has been raised since he arrived a result of the President’s Hawaii roots, which made him favour an office so warm, his adviser David Axelrod joked to the “New York Times”, that you could “grow orchids in there”.
The molten salt reactor built and tested at the Oak Ridge, Tn. facility in the 1960’s was sole purpose an aircraft turbojet heat source for heavy military aircraft. At standby the reactor is stably held at operating temperature, self regulating on that point, and any tapping into the salts heat store that reduces the temperature inherently raises the reaction rate.
The MSR is perfectly able to “load follow”, an absolute requirement in response to a pilots control input. However, typical response in a large power generating gas turbine is a ramp from 40% load (turn down) to full power over several minutes, the ramp as required to maintain low emissions.
cool
was it too expensive for commercial use?
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