To quote Dwight... "False." It is true that a wide electrical grid needs a base load. It is also true that solar isn't great at continuous power because of, y

To quote Dwight... "False." It is true that a wide electrical grid needs a base load. It is also true that solar isn't great at continuous power because of, you know, the Sun sometimes being behind the Earth. But that doesn't mean you need necessarily need batteries. There are at least two scenarios where you don't: 1. You have an alternative to batteries for storage. This could mean using excess solar power to create some fuel that may well also be portable. This isn't an economic way of creating gasoline (yet) but in remote places this might not matter. It also might not matter if this power is essentially "free" (eg you need to build a certain capacity anyway which leaves times where excess power is being generated). 2. Power usage on electrical grids is also not smooth. It also peaks during the day when, as it happens, the Sun is also out. So your solar capacity is actually reducing your peak grid power requirements, which is incredibly useful.