Base Load: Where Renewable Energy Resources Fall Short

by Sam Parker ’12

A graph of energy demand across the span of a day

Many, including myself, are demanding a looking for a “renewable energy revolution” and a low carbon economy in this country and the rest of the world.  For the future of our children and our planet, this is something that is an absolute necessity, but often what it lost in this thought is the concept of Base Load or Base Demand.  For those who may not know, Dictionary.com defines base load as “the constant or permanent load on a power supply”.  Essentially, all those things are run all day in your home (i.e. refrigerators, heat, a/c, clocks, etc.), place a demand on energy supply all of the time.  Now, how does a renewable energy system work with base load? Not very well.  At present, our base load energy requirements, as well as peak demand and intermediate cycling load are met by fossil fuels, nuclear energy and hydro-electric power generation.  At the moment renewable energy sources, solar, wind or tidal, can not meet this demand for base load energy demand due to a couple of reasons.  The first is the inconsistencies in energy generation;  the sun is not always shining, the wind is not always blowing, there are not always big waves in the oceans.  Now to try and deal with these problems scientists have been developing different forms of energy storage.  This, as it is, is the second problem with renewable energies trying to meet base load demand.  Energy storage technologies, aside from having other problems, are best suited to address intermediate cycling load and peak demand, not the base load.  So, the question becomes, how do we meet base load energy demands, while using low CO2 emitting technologies?

There are a number of different ways to answer this question.  I believe the first step in addressing the demand for base load energy is to lower the base load demand.  To do this two techniques are require, conservation and energy efficiency.  Energy conservation is something that is done in the home on a personal level.  Unplugging chargers, turning off lights, lowering the heat, increasing the temperature on air conditioning are just a few things that can be done.  It is difficult to change human behavior though,  people are often set in their ways and enjoy their amenities.  To address this we can “trick” people with energy efficient luxuries.  When I sat trick, I do not mean to actually fool people into using energy efficient items.  By making energy efficient “blank” the standard, people will be able to, more or less, continue to enjoy their luxuries without completely altering their lifestyles.  A move to a more energy efficient standard will also provide an advantage to renewable energies.  In Renewable Revolution: Low Carbon Energy by 2030, a Worldwatch Report by Janet l. Sawin and William Moomaw, they say “Improvements in energy efficiency make it easier, cheaper, and faster for renewable energy to achieve a large share of total energy production, while also rapidly reducing emissions associated with energy use” (5).  Both of these techniques will help to reduce the base load demand and give renewable energy systems more viability going forward, though they do not eliminate base load demand.

To meet the continuing demand for a base load while reducing CO2 emissions, a few options are available.  Hydro-electric damns are a good way to produce a constant amount of energy, but there is one stipulation to that.  For hydro-electricity to be feasible, your energy grid needs to be close to a hydro-electric damn or a water supply that can be used for producing hydro-electric energy. Another option, would be a move to biomass energy production.  Biomass is a readily available fuel source and  if managed properly will act as its own carbon sink.  The major issues with this is that you are still producing CO2 emission and there is a very high potential for mismanagement of biomass resources.  The final way of meeting the base load demand in a low carbon manor is through nuclear energy.  Probably one of the most controversial energy production methods, but nuclear energy, with present technologies and development, has become saafe and reliable.  Though all three of these technologies, have there own issues, we do need to consider the requirement of meeting base load demand.

To achieve a “renewable energy revolution” we will need to combine all of these concepts and technologies.  Energy conservation and efficiency will reduce our base load demand to make renewable energy technologies more viable.  To meet our continued demand, a combination of hydro-electric, nuclear and biomass will be needed to remove our reliance on the carbon intensive fossil fuels we are currently using.

Key Terms (in order of appearance)

Renewable Energy Revolution: The concept of a complete change from fossil fuel energy to renewable energy sources

Low Carbon Economy: An economy that is base around less carbon intensive technologies and energy sources

Base Load or Base Demand: the constant or permanent load on a power supply (www.Dictionary.com)

Peak Demand: a period in which electrical power is expected to be provided for a sustained period at a significantly higher than average supply level (Reference.com)

Intermediate Cycling Load: The range from base load to a point between base load and peak (www.iepa.com/Glossary.asp)

Energy Storage: The general method and specific techniques for storing energy derived from some primary source in a form convenient for use at a later time when a specific energy demand is to be met, often in a different location (Freedictionary.com)

(Energy) Conservation: Reduction or elimination of unnecessary energy use and waste (UNFCCC.int)

Energy Efficient: ways and technology that can reduce the amount of electricity or fuel used to do the same work (MetaMorFlex.com)