Nutek

AZ_Alba

There are at least two pump storage scheme in Scotland as there is another by Invergordon. They work because coal and nuclear power plants produce at a steady rate cannot react quickly to changes in demand. Hydro electric can react quickly as all you basic have to do is open or close the tap. By combining the different solutions you store the spare energy from the coal and nuclear during low demand ready for the peaks later in the day.

AZ_Alba

The big demand during the day is normally industry and office space. If you can look at the demand levels over a complete week and you will get a better idea of how much domestic consumption affects the overall level.

Pulaski

Agreed, .... I did say "... of the domestic demand curve." As with other plans to reduce energy consumption or make production AND consumption more efficient, you have to take savings where you can find them, a bit here, and a bit there. One way is to use solar power to assist with cooling, because the sun is high in the sky for much of the time when you need the most cooling. Leveling the demand curve for electricity allows you to make the most efficient use of nuclear and coal where production is hard to turn on or off.

scrubbedexpat099

My gut tells me PV generation to run AC is not logical, will look it up when I have a chance.

Pulaski

You are correct, it is unlikely that a domestic PV installation would be any where close to producing enough power to run AC. .... Which is why I said "assist".

holly_1948

With coal you can turn down the wick and run at a lighter load, it doesn't take all that long - minutes not hours. Though there is a minimum to keep the pot boiling and the wheels turning much fuel can be saved for later as unburned coal. The planet really likes coal to be left unburned!

With nuclear however the fuel is but a small fraction of the total operating cost. and you certainly do not want to shut down needlessly, that is a huge waste. So nuclear power really is use it or lose it, nothing to be gained by not generating the power. Which is why nuclear is so very suitable for baseline generation.

Of course with nuclear the issue is waste safety. Which is a very solvable problem if governments had the will to solve it. Sadly they don't have that will; not if it comes at a political cost, and it does.

neilcumming

I wouldnt think so.

neilcumming

A Happy Rabbie Burns Day to one and all.I love haggis,unfortunatley here in Mexico its not that popular ,cant understand why not as they eat a lot of strange stuff.Anyway I shall have a wee dram (single malt of course) for our greatest poet, as I hope you will,slainte.

dunroving

Here's a health to them that's awa'

scot47

And damnation to Scotia's enemies !

Nutek

scrubbedexpat099

Why not, would be a lot of money to some people, keep them out of the food banks.

MostlyYank

Once they're independent and have a space program, they'll simply have to put a reflector in orbit, and aim the concentrated light at a fixed point on the ground to make steam.

Pete

scrubbedexpat099

Ahh

Hope it does not wobble.