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Re:Nuclear is back on the table for a green future by fallingknife on Wednesday June 15, 2022 @11:36AM (#31754586)
I don't dispute the economics of renewable generation on the existing grid. I'm talking about storage as replacement for baseload, which is purely hypothetical at this point. Right now we have very small scale storage as peaker capacity, but not as a baseload replacement.
Re:Nuclear is back on the table for a green future by ZeroGravitas on Wednesday June 15, 2022 @12:03PM (#31755059)
Storage doesn't replace baseload.

Did the pumped hydro dams they built alongside nuclear power plants replace the baseload? No, they took the cheap energy that was produced at times when it wasn't needed and provided it back at peak times. They literally increased the base load by propping it up when it would otherwise droop at night (mostly).

Re:Nuclear is back on the table for a green future by ncmncm on Wednesday June 15, 2022 @04:23PM (#31758951)
Storage does, in fact, supply base load. That is its purpose.
Re:Nuclear is back on the table for a green future by ZeroGravitas on Wednesday June 15, 2022 @04:52PM (#31759335)
Today, storage runs (i.e. supplies) when electricity prices peak, which broadly matches high demand.

It charges, when electricity prices are low, which generally means off peak overnight.

In a future renewable grid, with zero dispatchable power it might be used on occaision to help meet the baseload, but it's almost certainly going to be used more during demand peaks, because that's when most electricity is used. Maybe in equatorial regions with a lot of solar, not much wind and no other energy sources it'll share baseload duties with the solar that charges it during the day, but unless the term baseload has lost all meaning (which I fear it has) storage is not ever providing baseload, since that would imply supplying that amount constantly and storage needs to absorb more energy than it returns.

I can't see a definition of 'baseload' provider that storage meets that solar doesn't for example.