What else would we use for backup when wind and solar aren't producing enough power? Gas, coal, and nuclear are the only real options.

Are you pretending batteries don't exist? And long distance interconnects? And not even talking about hydro, geothermal, wave, and who knows what else.

grid scale batteries longer than 4 hours don't exist. You can't design a reliable electrical grid based on vibes. You have to design it on what cost effective technologies actually exist where you need them.

Of course! Are you a grid designer? What does your model of solar and wind look like for your location?

I'm just a reasonably intelligent person who understands thermodynamics and can quantify electricity production and consumption.

Id say this is plainly wrong.

Additionally, there are more storage technologies than batteries in the classical sense.

The only other grid scale tech I'm aware of is pumped hydro which is very effective BUT severely limited to areas with existing good topography where you have two large enough basins separated by substantial height.

well, there are batteries of all kinds, there is green gas, and many other systems which can in one way or another support the grid - each with their respective advantages and disadvantages, such as capacity, controllability, cost, space requirements, topography requirements, ...

ALL BES currently installed have 4 hour capacity or less. It is far too expensive to have multiple day grid scale BES. I'm so tired of having to repeat this basic fact. WTF is green gas?