5 ms·
Don't build this trillion dollar proven technology, build this unproven trillion dollar technology instead!
by antt 8y ago
Don't build this trillion dollar proven technology, build this unproven trillion dollar technology instead!
- BluSyn 8y agoBoth technologies are proven. One has proven to be cheaper than the other.
- antt 8y agoI'm from Australia, the only thing that a grid without nuclear or coal has proven is that it can't deal with sustained demand. This year we came perilously close to having to choose which hospitals to cut power to when the there were two 40C days in a row. If we have a week of that weather Mad Max will be a become a documentary.
- BluSyn 8y agohttps://www.theguardian.com/technology/2018/sep/27/south-australias-tesla-battery-on-track-to-make-back-a-third-of-cost-in-a-year https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2018/sep/27/south-aus... This is the solution, but currently only operating at a small scale. This is something that can be scaled up insanely quickly for a fraction the cost of alternatives. The success of this relatively small installation has already resulted in many more battery projects coming online this year.
- antt 8y agoThe Tesla battery stores enough energy to run the South Australian grid for 5 minutes and cost 40 million. It's only use is to keep the frequency of the grid from drifting. This being my day job, it would add $8k to the electricity bill of the two child household in Australia if we used your solution to store the wind and solar power.
- rocqua 8y agoWas it actually renewables slumping in production or demand surging? If the second, how different would the situation have been with traditional power? I ask because a 40C day sounds like a problem due to AC usage, but would probably come with pretty effective solar, and decent wind near the sea.
- DennisP 8y agoFrance and Sweden built very low-carbon electric grids with nuclear. No country in the world has done that with wind/solar. Some have done it with lots of hydro/geothermal, but those aren't available everywhere.
- pfdietz 8y agoNo country did it with wind/solar in the past, because wind/solar weren't competitive. No country will do it with nuclear in the future, because nuclear won't be competitive.