On Wed, Jun 19, 2013 at 1:39 PM, Eugen Leitl <eu...@leitl.org> wrote: >> in rich countries. In the end, though, they too will change as the >> alternatives become normal, and what was once normal becomes quaintly >> old-fashioned. > > It has been quaintly old-fashioned for many years now where I sit.
Renewables don't work when the sun doesn't shine, the wind doesn't blow or the water doesn't flow - so most of Europe keeps its thermal capacity critically active (40-50% fuel load) even when there's renewable energy aplenty. This is a problem that won't be solved until we can figure out how to store and normalize the energy or cheaply distribute it. France does something interesting with spare nuclear power - they pump water up into mountain dams in Switzerland, and gain back the power on demand via hydroelectric turbines.
