: Study finds microgrids with wind, solar, and batteries can be built years sooner and at lower cost than SMRs
  • BombOmOm@lemmy.worldEnglish
    8·
    3 days ago

    it would cost 43 percent less to power a 120 MW data facility with renewables and a small amount of gas-generated energy

    Yes, it turns out gas is cheap. Kinda thought the whole point here was to get away from gas…

    Edit: This is generally the case when people say ‘renewables are cheaper than x’. They either mean ‘they are cheaper when they happen to be producing power’ or ‘they are cheaper when paired with gas’. The reason for this is grid-scale energy storage is fucking expensive (with the exception of hydro, which is already fully built out.) So you are left with either gas or nuclear to pair with your renewables. And for some reason, many of the same people who want reduced carbon emissions find pairing renewables with gas easier to argue for than pairing renewables with nuclear.

    • Mihies@programming.devEnglish
      41·
      3 days ago

      Or beautiful coal, according to a certain president. And yes, the storage is the problem. Nuclear would emit far less co2 compared to this “green” solution. This combination also makes nuclear not expensive because of cheap electricity generated during sub days or whenever it generates it.