> Combined-cycle gas turbines are fine for backing up renewables and storage.
So are plain steam turbines, if you have cheap steam.
> Steam turbines, by contrast, are expensive to operate, and slow to start up and shut down.
Huh? Combined cycle setups use steam turbines as part of the system. Steam turbines can ramp up and down plenty fast. It's traditional heat sources that don't ramp well.
> By the time much storage is needed, it will be very cheap.
That would be nice but I'm not depending on it, and I'm definitely not going to assume that long term storage will ever be cheaper than steam turbines.
So are plain steam turbines, if you have cheap steam.
> Steam turbines, by contrast, are expensive to operate, and slow to start up and shut down.
Huh? Combined cycle setups use steam turbines as part of the system. Steam turbines can ramp up and down plenty fast. It's traditional heat sources that don't ramp well.
> By the time much storage is needed, it will be very cheap.
That would be nice but I'm not depending on it, and I'm definitely not going to assume that long term storage will ever be cheaper than steam turbines.