Well the mainframe did not die, just went into the background.
I think we are gonna see a wide variety of power sources in the mix, 20 yrs down the road. Power storage might become a bigger deal as well.
In addition we can build big power plants fairly fast today, if we use natty gas fired gas turbines. And they are extremely efficient plants, and clean too. If they utilize combined heat and power, efficiencies approach 80 %.
One of the biggest changes for me in my longterm power career has been environmental related. And I am glad it has happened. This new stuff is just so much cleaner, than the old black smoke belching stuff. Or brown haze from Nox.
Nuc no, take for ever. Coal I dunno, I think they are temporarily done, as long as we have lots of gas.
I was in a combined heat and power plant in Boston some few years back, 76 % efficiency. At that point I was used to simple cycle stuff, best you can do there is about 40 %. I was a bit taken a back.
Lot of renewables going in this year, like it or not. They are contributing, and hurting gas turbine sales. I discussed with a major turbine supplier recently.
I pay 25 cents per kwh. I could use some solar or maybe down the road a fuel cell. I have not put the pencil to it, but with a small diesel I might could produce my own for 35 cents.
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