The Z's future

Red__Zed

It is easier to regulate on the plant level, to be fair.

I'm all about moving to more nuclear power, and it's not just because nuclear power plants buy a lot of the same electronics that are used in missile control





Honestly, while generation is a concern, the distribution network is definitely more of a weak point. There is a lot of untapped capacity in many plants, especially here (our local nuclear facility is nowhere near capacity, and easy to ramp up). I also believe (just personal opinion) that there is going to be more propagation of nuclear power facilities-- if nothing else (based on sales trends), there are a lot more places doing research to demonstrate safety.

A big worry is distribution. You've heard the BS lines about how people will be charging at night (off peak, etc). Realistically, every is going to plug in their car when they get home around 6-- well within heavy use hours. Even if we try to limit peak charging, people will need to do mid-day charging for a variety of reasons (road trip, lots of errands, trucks/deliveries).

This chart shows pretty clearly how much is being used for transport...


To put it simply, the distribution system simply cannot support the additional strain of EVs, and beefing it up is the real area holding back development. The lead times on some of the transformers needed to do this run in the order of YEARS-- we're talking pressed layers of metal the size of an SUV.

The VRs included on most EVs also represent an active load, which is potentially problematic. In standard operation, there is no issue, but certain failure modes could cause substantial issues for the grid-- you potentially wind up dealing with funky harmoncs and all that jazz, and you* affect your power factor. You'll hear a lot of talk about using parked cars to stabilize the grid, but it is going to be really different to implement properly since the cars can switch into and out of the grid whenever they want. I think the freedom that comes with the "grab it and go" aspect of your own car is something people won't give up, and that makes life really tough for power engineers.

Basically, what needs to happen to make the switch is the government needs to decide the switch is being made, and then subsidize the move for both the energy industry, as well as the automakers (or regulate the crap out of them to force their hand). Given the current economic situation, neither is really likely right now.