logoalt Hacker News

jamescrowleyyesterday at 8:26 PM1 replyview on HN

Baseload is traditionally about generation, not consumption. And baseload generation only makes sense when it is the cheapest option.

When solar and wind produce at near-zero marginal cost, running inflexible baseload beside them just forces cheaper generation to switch off, driving up system costs.

What the grid needs is dispatchable capacity - batteries, hydro, gas peakers (if we must) and demand shifting - that can plug the gaps when cheaper forms of generation cannot.


Replies

cbmuseryesterday at 9:04 PM

It sounds great in theory but doesn’t work in practice.

Just compare Germany to France.

show 1 reply