Actually, they just can’t be ramped, neither fast nor slow. What is done is just wasting part of the (heat)-energy that is produced. If you want to utilize NPPs you need storage, just like with renewables but more expensive to build.
You need some way of matching generation and consumption. “Peaker plants” and “Storage” are the typical answers, but they are not the only ones available.
We currently operate primarily on a “supply shaping” model, where we assume consumers are going to use whatever they want, whenever they want, and we adjust our production to match. They will pay a fixed price per kWh, without regard to the effects of their load on the grid. Responsibility for matching is entirely on the supplier.
We could shift our focus toward a “demand shaping” model, where we incentivize some of our (large, industrial) customers to go offline during peak hours, or switch to off-peak schedules to raise the base load.
Actually, they just can’t be ramped, neither fast nor slow. What is done is just wasting part of the (heat)-energy that is produced. If you want to utilize NPPs you need storage, just like with renewables but more expensive to build.
You need some way of matching generation and consumption. “Peaker plants” and “Storage” are the typical answers, but they are not the only ones available.
We currently operate primarily on a “supply shaping” model, where we assume consumers are going to use whatever they want, whenever they want, and we adjust our production to match. They will pay a fixed price per kWh, without regard to the effects of their load on the grid. Responsibility for matching is entirely on the supplier.
We could shift our focus toward a “demand shaping” model, where we incentivize some of our (large, industrial) customers to go offline during peak hours, or switch to off-peak schedules to raise the base load.