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Renewables have the problem that the larger the portion of your power that's generated through these renewables, the exponentially more storage you need. It's n
by Mirioron 7y ago
Renewables have the problem that the larger the portion of your power that's generated through these renewables, the exponentially more storage you need. It's not a linear relationship, because you can have weather that doesn't cooperate for long periods of time, but the power can't go out.
Another issue is that solar and wind aren't really suitable everywhere. The further north you go the less economical solar becomes. A large chunk of Europe sits further north than the US.
- audunw 7y agoWhat’s happening right now is that renewables are being paired with an increasing number of gas power plants. Since gas power can ramp up so quickly they’re a good match until storage can take over. So I think we already have the solution to the problem you’re describing: just pay to maintain a decent amount of the existing gas power plant. If they’re only there for backup, the impact on CO2 emissions will be negligible. You could even make the gas from renewable sources, since in this scenario the cost of the gas itself is negligible compared to cost of keeping the power plant operational. This is incidentally another reason (current) nuclear is a dead end going forward. They’re a bad match for renewables. What we need isn’t more base load, we need more peaker plants, load following plants, backup plants and energy storage. Nuclear isn’t a good solution in any of these categories.
- olejorgenb 7y agoAny increase in base load would reduce the amount of renewable+gas/storage capacity needed, so at worst it's a neutral match for renewables.
- pfdietz 7y agoAnd if people complain about the peakers releasing CO2, they could be converted to use hydrogen. Hydrogen can be produced either from renewables + electrolysis, or from 24/7 plants reforming methane to hydrogen with the carbon sequestered and the hydrogen stored underground for later use.
- Reason077 7y agoSolar is getting so cheap that it's becoming economical in places that might surprise you. The UK sits further north than almost all of the USA (excl. Alaska), and has a climate not exactly known for its abundant sunshine. But large-scale solar farms are now commercially viable here without subsidy. (eg: https://www.clevehillsolar.com https://www.clevehillsolar.com)
- jabl 7y agoUp here the yearly sunshine is pretty good, close to Germany or so. The problem is that almost all of it comes during the summer. In the winter months when demand peaks, solar produces practically nothing. So without seasonal storage becoming economical, it's not a solution to decarbonizing. Closer to the equator where seasonal variation is less and demand is driven more by air conditioning than heating solar is an excellent choice.