[Scoundreller]

> Sun, wind [have] random output

While true, they do correlate to demand. The sun is going to be the strongest when A/C demand is greatest, shaving peak demand.

Same with wind: a hot wind in summer will drive A/C demand. Same in winter with winds driving resistive heating or the 1hp load from furnace circulating fans.

This falls apart when your system becomes significantly double digit solar/wind, but smaller contributions should pair well with demand.

Hydro can be the worst because you get the most supply at spring thaw, but this the 3rd or 4th lowest demand season.

[greenyoda]

> The sun is going to be the strongest when A/C demand is greatest

Not necessarily. There are lots of hot summer days when the sky is cloudy.

Also, there can be direct sunlight heating up NYC while there are clouds over the solar plant, which could be miles away.

[Scoundreller]

A/C isn’t just about resisting ambient temperature, but also solar gain.

About the latter, that’s where smart grids come in. Clouds move and it’s incredibly unlikely to be sunny but cloudy a few miles away for an extended period of time.

(Obvs don’t build solar where fog sits regularly).

[ajsnigrutin]

You also need power to heat, and there's usually very little sun then... sometimes even no wind.

Nuclear and thermal are both slow to ramp up and ramp down, and unusable for short term peaks.

Hydro is actually great for that, because you can regulate the power production relatively fast (as long as you have enough water).

[Scoundreller]

> You also need power to heat

Most heating in NY will be carbon-based. For now anyway.