Post #1238592

2026-04-14 08:38 UTC

This means that the concept of "base load" is not really relevant, because there is no consistent base. And when the residual load goes negative, the wholesale price of electricity goes negative as well. Last year the Netherlands had negative wholesale electricity prices for about 7% of the year, and that amount is only going to grow. You can't afford to run a nuclear reactor when electricity prices are negative, but you also can't shut it down every day either.

Replies (1)

@notjustbikes@social.notjustbikes.com 2026-04-14 08:42

This was always my understanding of how renewables make the concept of "base load" irrelevant, again, as a person with a literal degree in Electrical Engineering. But I was gaslit by so many people that I felt the need to research the current situation again today. This could just be people using out of date information, but I suspect this is anti-renewables propaganda. Otherwise I don't know why so many people would even know what a "base load" is.

Open ##1238593