3 ms·
> a staggering 20GW of overproduction > the recent drought Desalination is normally shot down for being very wasteful of energy, but given the energy can't ot
by benplumley 11y ago
> a staggering 20GW of overproduction
> the recent drought
Desalination is normally shot down for being very wasteful of energy, but given the energy can't otherwise be stored and California seems in constant drought, are there any reasons why isn't it a viable use of the surplus energy in this scenario?
- ethbro 11y agoI think this will probably be a major energy sink going forward, as we've never really had to find a use for "surplus electricity" on this scale before. Moreover though, I think the general class of chemical storage is likely to be another winner. Reversible reactions in liquid provide so many benefits: modest infrastructure costs (compared to anything but pumped hydro) and scalability in terms of both throughput (more reactors in parallel) and capacity (additional tank volume).
- epistasis 11y agoI agree! For example, vanadium redox flow batteries are looking pretty great for grid storage lately, with estimates of storage costs below $0.20/kWh stored. As I understand it, that's more than the daily price fluctuation in some markets. Far more cycles than lithium ion and a wider range of operating temperatures. And I think we're just skimming the surface with flow batteries (pun not intended). There's a massive amount of potential for new materials here.
- aidenn0 11y agoIn California, it's not just the energy that's the issue, it's the coastal commission, which is very stingy about giving out de-sal permits.