[LMagic007]

This might seem like an ignorant question, but I cant help but wonder about the efficiency design of a power station that requires cooling towers. i.e. surely all that waste heat could be harnessed and fed back into the system somehow ? i.e. to reduce the water heating requirement to produce steam for the turbines.

I suspect there is an explanation, but I also know that much waste has occurred for decades during an era of cheap energy. I wonder perhaps if they might help allow the plant to be more responsive to grid demand fluctuations, by being able to more rapidly adjust and maintain the optimal the operating temperatures. i.e. presuming a more passive approach ( recirculate heat and reduce burn requirement for feedwater to steam conversion ) might not have that degree of flexibility and responsiveness. Just wondering.