Comments on: Is Nuclear Green? http://www.morganenergy.com/?p=290 Discussing Energy Economics on the Internet Fri, 19 Jun 2009 17:18:43 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: Cheryl http://www.morganenergy.com/?p=290&cpage=1#comment-172 Cheryl Mon, 29 Sep 2008 14:47:13 +0000 http://www.morganenergy.com/?p=290#comment-172 Mike: I'm sure that nukes can be flexible, but should we want them to? A nuclear power station humming along at a constant output is generally fairly safe. Start messing with the rods and all sorts of things could go wrong. I'm afraid that whenever I hear people suggesting that nukes could load-follow I have this mental vision of Homer Simpson getting instructions from a Wall Street trader. Mike:

I’m sure that nukes can be flexible, but should we want them to? A nuclear power station humming along at a constant output is generally fairly safe. Start messing with the rods and all sorts of things could go wrong. I’m afraid that whenever I hear people suggesting that nukes could load-follow I have this mental vision of Homer Simpson getting instructions from a Wall Street trader.

]]> By: Mike Giberson http://www.morganenergy.com/?p=290&cpage=1#comment-169 Mike Giberson Sun, 28 Sep 2008 15:59:49 +0000 http://www.morganenergy.com/?p=290#comment-169 Most nuclear units are designed to operate as full-time, baseload units, but at least a few analysts have concluded that it isn't inherent in the technical characteristics so much as it is dictated by the economics (In too simple terms: high capital costs + low marginal operating cost = once operating, operate as much as possible). See, for example, the paper by Pouret and Nuttall, "Can Nuclear Power Be Flexible?" Most nuclear units are designed to operate as full-time, baseload units, but at least a few analysts have concluded that it isn’t inherent in the technical characteristics so much as it is dictated by the economics (In too simple terms: high capital costs + low marginal operating cost = once operating, operate as much as possible).

See, for example, the paper by Pouret and Nuttall, “Can Nuclear Power Be Flexible?”

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