c300man

Smart Grid: Powering Us Out of Recession

You've gotten carried away with your multiplcation in the lead-in paragraph. Lost electrical energy sales = 800 mw x 1000 kw/mw x 8 hr x $0.10 / kwh = $640,000

Wages paid to plant employees during that outage =
800 employees x 8 hrs x $10 / hr = $64,000

There are lots of opportunity for improved and more efficient energy use and reduction of energy waste although you can't eliminate some cost for moving energy.

I believe we need to increase use of nuclear energy. Mining and processing of Uranium ore is safe. Disposal of spent fuel is safe but unfortunately the Obama administration has let politics guide their decision making.