News for hackers. Stuff that matters.
Re:First new U.S. nuclear reactor since 2016 is now in opera... by avar on Wednesday December 27, 2023 @08:26PM (#38788918)
It's normal in many very cold places to entirely switch off your heating overnight.

You heat your home up during the day and evening, and as you retire for the night it's switched off. With sufficient insulation and warm bedding you don't need active heating overnight.

So it's absolutely compatible with an electric supply that's heavily biased towards the daytime.

Re:First new U.S. nuclear reactor since 2016 is now in opera... by zo1 on Wednesday December 27, 2023 @08:33PM (#38788959)
As an example, it may start becoming more economical to include heat-batteries (I forget the name) in house construction such that they retain heat and radiate it to maintain a not freezing ambient temperature inside a house. That, along with insulation, and some rather moderate changes to behaviour, could entirely eliminate the need for electricity-use during night time hours. We don't know what ingenious and wonderful things people may do when the real-cost of electricity at night is exposed to them.
Re:First new U.S. nuclear reactor since 2016 is now in opera... by gustavus on Thursday December 28, 2023 @02:01AM (#38790830)
Ya that's a level of unmitigated bull** where I live there is usually several days out of the year where the temperature is -40 (doesn't matter the units at that temperature it's the same) and massive wind chill. There's not really a reasonable way to heat a houseduring the day and have it remain warm with tempratures like that without major changes to the way houses are built.

This seems like the quintessential example of some Cali tech bro nor understanding that there is anyone outside of their little bubble and assui everyone just lives like them.

Re:First new U.S. nuclear reactor since 2016 is now in opera... by defrost on Thursday December 28, 2023 @02:13AM (#38790884)
Perhaps a Cali tech bro, maybe a standard scandanavian in a passive energy house with tight seals, good insulation, triple glazing, large solar heated hot water tank to hold thermal energy during the night, etc.

There are people outside everbodies particular bubbles.

Re:First new U.S. nuclear reactor since 2016 is now in opera... by zo1 on Thursday December 28, 2023 @06:03AM (#38792209)
What percentage of the world's population lives at a place that goes to -40C ever in the year? That's like 0.000001% of the world's population (didn't confirm, thumb sucking).

I think you need to admit, "bro", that you're far from a standard case and that maybe you should suck it up and move to a more hospitable spot instead of forcing the rest of us to subsidize your extreme lifestyle choice at the expense of our environment which we "all" apparently care so much about.

At least I'm suggesting insulation, and alternative methods of heating as opposed to just saying we should chug gigawatts so your butt could be warm at -40C outside.

Re:First new U.S. nuclear reactor since 2016 is now in opera... by jnsaff2 on Thursday December 28, 2023 @02:58AM (#38791105)
The cold places are usually extreme latitudes.

I live around 60 latitude and here during the winter it might not be even that cold (tho it can be -20 or -30C).

It’s that the amount of sunshine and the angle it shines at means that for about 3 months the PV production is essentially zero.

This is during the time the demand is highest.