tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10911751.post6508777367615797474..comments2024-03-07T02:00:01.582-05:00Comments on NEI Nuclear Notes: A Little Nuclear Diversity in the Energy MixUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10911751.post-62163403717012097322013-04-18T13:33:21.011-04:002013-04-18T13:33:21.011-04:00"No coal, no oil, no gas, no choice."
F..."No coal, no oil, no gas, no choice."<br /><br />France has a chance to lead in the coming transition. France has already pushed coal off the electric grid. What France needs to do now is push petroleum out of transport and industry, and take a bite out of coal's share in industry as well (if it still has any). Natural gas, even imported, is much cheaper than petroleum and requires no refining. Overbuilding nuclear allows its excess generation to be used to displace fossil fuels in uses where electricity is not typically used, such as bulk industrial heating and solid-waste processing. Using NG as the backup for nuclear (heat and vehicle fuel) completes the displacement of coal and petroleum.Engineer-Poethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06420685176098522332noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10911751.post-70126812925902939952013-04-16T14:11:30.108-04:002013-04-16T14:11:30.108-04:00It wasn't nuclear power that hampered diversit...It wasn't nuclear power that hampered diversity of supply. France chose nuclear because they did not have any significant quantities of natural gas, oil and coal.Mike Pughnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10911751.post-9254073844646945572013-04-15T15:19:29.453-04:002013-04-15T15:19:29.453-04:00"France enjoyed a little controversy a few we..."France enjoyed a little controversy a few weeks ago when automaker Renault questioned whether nuclear energy alone could recharge all the electric cars that will soon be on the road."<br /><br />The nuclear capacity factor in France is around 70% which is understandably lower than the US factor of 90%. The night time dip in demand is the reason for the lower factor. Now if the Renault electric cars charged at night, the extra capacity could charge a lot of cars for a very low price because no extra capital investment is needed. In fact, nuclear would be the cheapest way to charge all of those cars that Renault might someday make.<br /><br />I wonder whether Renault can make enough electric cars to use the spare nuclear capacity that already exists. Go Renault!Martin Burklenoreply@blogger.com