July 29, 2026
Gridlocked and loaded
Baseload Is a Myth (2024)
Power nerds are fighting over whether the grid’s ‘always-on’ idea is dead or just renamed
TLDR: The article argues the old idea that the grid needs big always-on plants is outdated because newer power sources can respond more flexibly. Commenters instantly split into camps: some said that’s overdue common sense, while others blasted it as wordplay, bad science, or anti-nuclear spin.
The article throws a match into one of energy world’s favorite old arguments: do we still need giant power plants running all the time, or is that just a leftover habit from the coal era? Writer Sean Fleming says the old idea of “baseload” — the belief that there’s always some minimum electricity demand that should be served by big steady plants — has outlived its usefulness. In plain English: yes, people always need some power, but no, that doesn’t automatically mean the grid should be built around hulking generators that never slow down.
And wow, the comments did not calmly nod along. One camp basically said, “Finally, someone said it,” arguing that cheap wind, solar, gas, and especially batteries have changed the game. Another camp came in swinging with a full that’s not a myth, that’s statistics rebuttal, accusing the piece of playing word games by admitting there really is an always-present minimum demand while still declaring “baseload” fake. The spiciest pushback called the whole thing “non-scientific propaganda,” with one commenter warning that depending too much on variable power means blackout chaos unless backup machines are kept ready.
The funniest twist? Commenters also dragged nuclear fans into the discourse, pointing out that pumped hydro — basically giant water batteries — was once promoted to help old nuclear plants deal with daily demand swings. So the crowd verdict was less “case closed” and more welcome to yet another gladiator match between grid reality, economics, and people who are absolutely sure everyone else is misunderstanding the graph.
Key Points
- •The article says electric grids do have a persistent minimum level of demand, but argues that this does not require a dedicated class of inflexible “baseload” generators.
- •It traces the baseload concept to the operating characteristics of coal and nuclear plants, which historically ran most efficiently at steady output.
- •The article states that US coal generation has declined largely for economic reasons, especially because natural gas has been cheap for about two decades.
- •It argues that newer generation and balancing technologies, including combined cycle gas plants, improved nuclear load-following, and batteries, can respond better to changing demand.
- •The article concludes that baseload is an outdated planning shorthand rooted in older thermal power economics rather than a necessary principle for modern grids.