The Forum > Article Comments > Compact nuclear power units may blow wind away > Comments
Compact nuclear power units may blow wind away : Comments
By Mark S. Lawson, published 4/3/2015Unsubsidised wind power can compete, on a cost-per-output basis, with the likes of coal and gas, while the other forms of green power - photovoltaics and solar thermal - trail the field by a fair margin.
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Solar PV is now competitive with the cost of new coal power and is rapidly getting cheaper. Concentrating solar thermal ditto, with the added benefit of offering energy storage. Solar PV and CST together can come very close to matching load demand across the diurnal cycle in some areas. Other renewable/recovery technologies, like energy recovery from water reticulation pipelines are valuable adjuncts to meet peak demands, while local generation via gas turbines can both supplement and if necessary, replace renewables when conditions are unfavourable, such as extended overcast or lack of wind.
Distributed generation is massively more power-efficient. The generation efficiency is about the same or better than for central plants, but there is almost no reticulation loss and the maintenance regime for small plants is much less onerous, meaning that there is no need to build enormous redundancy into central plants. In addition, small plants can be wound up and wound down much more rapidly and flexibly, so the need for load banks to maintain turbine output during low demand periods is much reduced.
I could go on for a lot longer about this, Mark. While I recognise that you are in this case acting as an "urger" for nuclear, I'm also sure that as a competent and responsible journalist you'll be interested in seeking out the facts. Please do so.