It’s Electric
11/21/2013 | | econ70, Economic forecasting, economist on radio, economist on TV, eisenberg and economics, Eisenberg and housing economics, Eisenberg and public speaking, Elliot eisenberg, funniest economist, funny housing economist, gas plants, Graphsandlaughs, graphsandlaughs and eisenberg, housing sales, MLS, mortgage banking, Multiple listing service, politics and economics, Public speaking economist, renewable energy, Solar and wind
A problem with solar and wind energy is that it’s intermittent. Since renewables generally have grid priority over other sources, when renewables surge other sources must rapidly decline to compensate. But since nuclear and coal plants are designed to run continuously, the only sources that can be adjusted are natural gas plants. The less gas-fired plants are used, the less the power company earns, yet their fixed costs don’t decline.