| The grid needs consistent power that is transferrable and responsive to load. Point sources like nuclear plants add baseload, but are not flexible in supply. A more resilient grid will have much more interconnection between sources and sinks and much more dynamic control and feedback loops. Solar power is currently the cheapest form of new power available, it is limited by the hours of daylight. Wind power is weather limited, but offshore wind power can provide relatively constant generation. Batteries and equivalent energy storage (eg pumped hydro) provide the short term grid stability requirements that are currently provided by gas-powered peak plants, but with much faster response time and much cheaper capex and opex costs. As rooftop solar and household battery (including stationary vehicles) expand, dynamic usage will also capture a lot of the energy market from large baseload generation. All of these are affordable now, work, and, with investment in the grid/network, scale. |