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Solar cost per kWh are still prohibitive for aluminium smelting. Specially because due to the production profile you can sell the energy at much higher price th

Solar cost per kWh are still prohibitive for aluminium smelting. Specially because due to the production profile you can sell the energy at much higher price than what you could get by producing aluminium. Wind OTOH produces a lot of energy at night where demand is low and you can't really shutdown turbines - you must use the energy. Yet I'm not sure if it's feasible to run a plant in those conditions.

kragen 9y ago
I think it is true everywhere in the world that photovoltaic costs per kWh are still prohibitive for aluminum smelting in 2018, but that won't still be true in 2022. Aluminum pots are usually run off extremely consistent power sources like hydro. I'm not sure how much you have to redesign them to take effective advantage of unpredictable intermittent supplies.
- philipkglass 9y ago
  Conventional reservoir-backed hydroelectric dams can be throttled up and down pretty quickly, and can't run at 100% around the clock without depleting the reservoir. The Hoover Dam has an annual capacity factor of only 23%, for example. As solar gets cheap I think that the most cost-effective way to firm it up is to install it connected to the same transmission capacity as an existing hydroelectric project, and throttle the hydro output down when solar generation is strong. There are limits to how much down you can throttle a dam of course. Still it can serve as a hybrid system that marries solar scalability and hydro reliability without paying for battery storage.
russdill 9y ago
What? No. http://xn--drmstrre-64ad.dk/wp-content/wind/miller/windpower%20web/en/tour/wtrb/powerreg.htm http://xn--drmstrre-64ad.dk/wp-content/wind/miller/windpower... Most large wind turbines have pitch control (Some newer turbines even have individual blade pitch control to counter asymmetric loads)
- exabrial 9y ago
  Not only pitch control but brakes as well
deleted 9y ago
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kragen 9y ago

I think it is true everywhere in the world that photovoltaic costs per kWh are still prohibitive for aluminum smelting in 2018, but that won't still be true in 2022. Aluminum pots are usually run off extremely consistent power sources like hydro. I'm not sure how much you have to redesign them to take effective advantage of unpredictable intermittent supplies.

philipkglass 9y ago
Conventional reservoir-backed hydroelectric dams can be throttled up and down pretty quickly, and can't run at 100% around the clock without depleting the reservoir. The Hoover Dam has an annual capacity factor of only 23%, for example. As solar gets cheap I think that the most cost-effective way to firm it up is to install it connected to the same transmission capacity as an existing hydroelectric project, and throttle the hydro output down when solar generation is strong. There are limits to how much down you can throttle a dam of course. Still it can serve as a hybrid system that marries solar scalability and hydro reliability without paying for battery storage.

russdill 9y ago

What? No. http://xn--drmstrre-64ad.dk/wp-content/wind/miller/windpower%20web/en/tour/wtrb/powerreg.htm http://xn--drmstrre-64ad.dk/wp-content/wind/miller/windpower... Most large wind turbines have pitch control (Some newer turbines even have individual blade pitch control to counter asymmetric loads)

exabrial 9y ago
Not only pitch control but brakes as well

deleted 9y ago

[deleted]