One of the most common arguments anti-nukes use against nuclear energy concerns the fact that a nuclear power plant is a "centralized" source of energy that can be controlled by big, bad corporate interests. In contrast, the thinking goes, renewables like wind and solar support a model of "distributed" generation that would free consumers from evil corporate utilities.
Today over at Daily Kos, N. Nadir takes a shot at that contention.
Today over at Daily Kos, N. Nadir takes a shot at that contention.
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Integrating small generators into the grid like an energy internet also requires each node, whether a gigawatt natural gas power station or a single solar photovoltaic panel has to be controlled and the necessary number of combined control tasks multiply as devices multiply. Accurate information on the state of the network and coordination between local control centers and the generators is essential. However an inherent risk of interconnected networks is a domino effect - that is a system failure in one part of the network can quickly spread. Therefore the active network needs appropriate design standards, fast acting protection mechanisms and also automatic reconfiguration equipment to address potentially higher fault levels. On top of which most of the proposed systems require intelligent loads as well, adding to network complexity and cost. These changes are not cheap or easy.