Back On The Grid

Controversial Energy Opinion To Start 2024


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I was asked during an interview recently what my most controversial opinion on energy was. And while I would like to think I have more than one controversial opinion, because otherwise what’s the fun, I’d like to dive more into the answer I gave, which was about the ramp rates of nuclear power.

Key questions: how does solar PV fit into power grids with a lot of nuclear? And conversely, how does nuclear fit with high renewables systems?

References and recommended reading:

  • Residential Solar PV Systems in the Carolinas: Opportunities and Outcomes (2016)
  • Example of Nuclear Power ramp rate for South Korea APR1400 (2021)
  • Overview of Nuclear Ramping Constraints by Argonne National Labs and MIT (2020)
  • EIA visual of new capacity being added to grid in 2023 (2023)
  • TerraPower
  • The Duck Curve Illustration
  • Thanks so much for listening and I hope to see you in future episodes this year. If you have insight on ramp rate concerns other than the Xenon-135 buildup, please let me know!

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    Back On The GridBy Nick Sorokin