3 ms·

To where and how? Electricity is not something you can export when your main grid is 5000km from your nearest neighbour

jandrese 7y ago
Typically power is exported by smelting aluminum from bauxite. A big advantage of doing it this way is you can run the smelters only when there is an overproduction of power to help even out demand on the grid.
- imglorp 7y ago
  I wonder if a concentrated solar power tower heating a crucible of ore would be more efficient than inefficiencies from PV, transmission, conversion, storage etc.
  - samatman 7y ago
    Not for aluminium smelting, which is done with electricity rather than heat. This is why aluiminium has only recently become a cheap resource, or indeed a resource at all, despite being incredibly common and having a low melting point.
  - Gibbon1 7y ago
    I think we're getting close to the point where mirrors cost more than solar panels.
- lostlogin 7y ago
  New Zealand has the problem where the smelter has such huge power usage that they get to wag the dog. That is a situation that is probably hard to avoid. https://i.stuff.co.nz/business/opinion-analysis/116851413/rio-tintos-tiwai-point-aluminium-smelter--should-it-stay-or-should-it-go https://i.stuff.co.nz/business/opinion-analysis/116851413/ri...
- erentz 7y ago
  I thought you could only shut down an aluminium smelter for a couple of hours. It’s essential they keep the pots (?) hot constantly or they get ruined and the plant is then offline hundreds of millions to repair. If this is correct then solar would be a terrible power source for smelting. Good power sources: hydro, geothermal. Which is why we see smelters in places with hydro and geothermal. Australia should go nuclear. Plenty of places to put plants. A dozen plants would generate all the electricity they need and they can stop burning coal.
  - jandrese 7y ago
    You can design the plant to handle intermittent power. It's a bit more expensive, but you're getting the savings from using cheaper power. https://www.metalbulletin.com/events/download.ashx/document/speaker/6548/a0ID000000X0jWmMAJ/Presentation https://www.metalbulletin.com/events/download.ashx/document/...
nradov 7y ago
Lately people are "exporting" cheap electricity by mining cryptocurrency. I don't think that's a good idea from a public policy standpoint, but it is happening and growing fast.
philipkglass 7y ago
"Australian billionaire to fund Singapore subsea cable project" https://www.power-technology.com/news/australia-singapore-power-link/ https://www.power-technology.com/news/australia-singapore-po... The Australia-Singapore Power Link (ASPL) project has been developed by Singapore-based company Sun Cable project is being developed by Singapore based company Sun Cable at an estimated cost of $14bn (A$20bn). With a storage facility based in Tennant Creek in Australia’s Northern Territory, the project will include a 10GW solar farm and a 20-30GWh storage facility which will transport 3GW of power to Singapore. ASPL was given major project status by the Northern Territory Government in July 2019 and will begin producing power in 2027. It sounds just this side of science fiction to me, but it will be exciting if the project actually goes forward as planned.
neotek 7y ago
From one state to another would be a good start. South Australians are paying more per kilowatt hour than anyone else on the planet, including people living in active warzones.

Typically power is exported by smelting aluminum from bauxite. A big advantage of doing it this way is you can run the smelters only when there is an overproduction of power to help even out demand on the grid.

imglorp 7y ago
I wonder if a concentrated solar power tower heating a crucible of ore would be more efficient than inefficiencies from PV, transmission, conversion, storage etc.
- samatman 7y ago
  Not for aluminium smelting, which is done with electricity rather than heat. This is why aluiminium has only recently become a cheap resource, or indeed a resource at all, despite being incredibly common and having a low melting point.
- Gibbon1 7y ago
  I think we're getting close to the point where mirrors cost more than solar panels.
lostlogin 7y ago
New Zealand has the problem where the smelter has such huge power usage that they get to wag the dog. That is a situation that is probably hard to avoid. https://i.stuff.co.nz/business/opinion-analysis/116851413/rio-tintos-tiwai-point-aluminium-smelter--should-it-stay-or-should-it-go https://i.stuff.co.nz/business/opinion-analysis/116851413/ri...
erentz 7y ago
I thought you could only shut down an aluminium smelter for a couple of hours. It’s essential they keep the pots (?) hot constantly or they get ruined and the plant is then offline hundreds of millions to repair. If this is correct then solar would be a terrible power source for smelting. Good power sources: hydro, geothermal. Which is why we see smelters in places with hydro and geothermal. Australia should go nuclear. Plenty of places to put plants. A dozen plants would generate all the electricity they need and they can stop burning coal.
- jandrese 7y ago
  You can design the plant to handle intermittent power. It's a bit more expensive, but you're getting the savings from using cheaper power. https://www.metalbulletin.com/events/download.ashx/document/speaker/6548/a0ID000000X0jWmMAJ/Presentation https://www.metalbulletin.com/events/download.ashx/document/...

nradov 7y ago

Lately people are "exporting" cheap electricity by mining cryptocurrency. I don't think that's a good idea from a public policy standpoint, but it is happening and growing fast.

philipkglass 7y ago

"Australian billionaire to fund Singapore subsea cable project" https://www.power-technology.com/news/australia-singapore-power-link/ https://www.power-technology.com/news/australia-singapore-po... The Australia-Singapore Power Link (ASPL) project has been developed by Singapore-based company Sun Cable project is being developed by Singapore based company Sun Cable at an estimated cost of $14bn (A$20bn). With a storage facility based in Tennant Creek in Australia’s Northern Territory, the project will include a 10GW solar farm and a 20-30GWh storage facility which will transport 3GW of power to Singapore. ASPL was given major project status by the Northern Territory Government in July 2019 and will begin producing power in 2027. It sounds just this side of science fiction to me, but it will be exciting if the project actually goes forward as planned.

neotek 7y ago

From one state to another would be a good start. South Australians are paying more per kilowatt hour than anyone else on the planet, including people living in active warzones.