Can a power station supply base-load demand?

The old myth was based on the incorrect assumption that base-load demand can only be supplied by base-load power stations; for example, coal in Australia and nuclear in France. However, the mix of renewable energy technologies in our computer model, which has no base-load power stations, easily supplies base-load demand.

Do we need a base-load power?

It doesn’t matter that wind and solar power are intermittent: the need for base-load power is a myth. Flickr/Eidoloon The future of civilisation and much biodiversity hangs to a large degree on whether we can replace fossil fuels – coal, oil and gas – with clean, safe and affordable energy within several decades.

Do generating systems need base-load power stations?

Our latest research, available here and reported here, finds that generating systems comprising a mix of different commercially available renewable energy technologies, located on geographically dispersed sites, do not need base-load power stations to achieve the same reliability as fossil-fuelled systems.

How can baseload demand be reduced?

Baseload demand can be further reduced by increasing the energy efficiency of homes and other buildings. Secondly, some renewable energy sources are just as reliable for baseload energy as fossil fuels.

Are peak-load power stations a real challenge?

The real challenge is to supply peaks in demand on calm winter evenings following overcast days. That’s when the peak-load power stations, that is, hydro and gas turbines, make vital contributions by filling gaps in wind and solar generation.

Can a wind farm be more reliable than a coal-fired power station?

Modeling has also shown that it's relatively inexpensive to increase the reliability of the total wind output to a level equivalent to a coal-fired power station by adding a few low-cost peak-load gas turbines that are opearated infrequently, to fill in the gaps when the wind farm production is low (Diesendorf 2010).