[SystemSafety] nuclear energy - disparate policies?

[Martyn Thomas]

In the UK, the EHV transmission grid was designed hierarchically, with a
small number of generators branching out to medium-voltage and
low-voltage distribution networks that serve consumers.

The transmission grid is balanced mostly by managing the supply (though
major consumers can be taken off grid and there is a (LW radio)
mechanism for shifting some consumer heating load).

That architecture works well when there is a high proportion of
constant-power generation.

Renewable sources such as wind and PV tend to be geographically
dispersed and to vary significantly and quite rapidly in power
generation. The UK does not have much capability to store electricity at
present.

So as the amount of avaiable renewable generation increases in the UK,
it becomes desirable to connect generators to the lower-voltage
distribution networks and to balance these networks by managing
consumption (for example by switching off freezers, heat pumps and EV
chargers briefly). The alternative is a lot of very expensive renewal of
the networks.

Then there are power quality issues, which can get tricky because of the
characteristics of commercially attractive generators, pumps and
chargers, and which have the potential to damage equipment.

In the UK, it seems that going much above 25% renewable generation will
create some rather significant employment opportunities for power
engineers...

(DYOR. I'm no expert in this. I just listen to people who are).

What's the situation in other countries?

Martyn