Baseload Is a Myth (2024) • Hacker News Board

Re: Baseload Is a Myth (2024)

#51

Post by infamia » Thu, Jul 30, 2026, 2:13 PM UTC

bluGill wrote: post #39

infamia wrote: post #38

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> That depends on the design. ... The older the design the less likely it can turn down far. I don't doubt there's a small number of plants that can't do 10-1. That said, transmitters are intended to be replaced and upgraded regularly since they have a finite lifespan (they're cheap anyhow). 10-1 has been around for 35+ years now and you're really lucky to get 20 years out of a transmitter.

I don't know what you mean by transmitter. I know of one factory that has their own coal power plant. The boiler is from the 1880s, the generator installed in the 1920s. It is horribly inefficient by any reasonable standard and takes hours to turn on. However because they keep it operational the power company gives them a massive discount on electric. About ever 5 years there is a major event and the power company ha…

That's a really cool story! I live near a couple of industrial sites like that which have a power plant on site, that were shut down quite a long time ago due to environmental concerns they don't burn cleanly at all as you said!

A transmitter is a sensor in a power plant that very precisely measures the air flow within the combustion chamber, so the fuel burns as clean/efficiently as possible. Relatively new transmitters can read with more precision, so you can dial down the airflow/fuel and the corresponding power output.

Re: Baseload Is a Myth (2024)

#52

Post by bryanlarsen » Thu, Jul 30, 2026, 6:10 PM UTC

throw0101d wrote: post #34

bryanlarsen wrote: post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That strategy makes no sense when dispatchable power generation is cheaper than non-intermittent generation. This happened about 20 years ago when natgas became cheaper than coal.

> This happened about 20 years ago when natgas became cheaper than coal. With or without externalities like climate change costed in?

Yes. natgas + purchased carbon credits are cheaper than nuclear.

Re: Baseload Is a Myth (2024)

#53

Post by thaumasiotes » Thu, Jul 30, 2026, 8:02 PM UTC

bluGill wrote: post #11

thaumasiotes wrote: post #4

> This part is still true, a meaningful amount of load is always required somewhere on the grid. > The gap in understanding comes with the second factor: belief that it is inherently more efficient to match this load with big thermal generation. > This comes from a historical contingency, where large stable loads matched very well with traditional coal-fired and nuclear power plants. These burn coal (or fission) to h…

> What will happen is that the local baseline load rises to accommodate the greater supply of power Maybe. Electric companies used to have policies that encouraged that. Most people are asleep between midnight and 6am, so if you used a lot of electric at that time they would give you a large discount on electric costs. However most people would not get up at 3am to take shower even if it would save $20/month (must be…

It will always happen. The baseload doesn't need to be composed of residential buildings. If there's a big glut of power between midnight and 6, and the local community doesn't want it, businesses will appear that consume power between midnight and 6.

Re: Baseload Is a Myth (2024)

#54

Post by wiml » Fri, Jul 31, 2026, 7:04 AM UTC

teamonkey wrote: post #33

wiml wrote: post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Environmental disasters that will likely outlast human civilization? Coal does that in normal operation .

It’s not an either-or.

Isn't it, though? A GW generated one way displaces a GW generated another way. As long as we are building and operating coal-fired power plants — which we are — it is reasonable to consider displacing those plants with fission plants. I'm not aware of any system in which coal is better than nuclear.

Of course, yes, wind and solar are great. But despite the amazing growth in those sources, we're still burning a huge amount of coal and oil.