5 ms·
The problem here is the fluctuations in supply: you still need that coal & gas power for when renewables aren't producing. And the specific problem is that coa
by 9nGQluzmnq3M 7y ago
The problem here is the fluctuations in supply: you still need that coal & gas power for when renewables aren't producing. And the specific problem is that coal plants are not good at starting up and spinning down rapidly.
Gas plants, however, are quite fast, so if this leads to coal plants becoming obsolete, that's win all around even if it requires more gas power in the interim.
- ceejayoz 7y agoWell, you need something. Diversity in renewables, diversity in their placement (it's unlikely for the wind to be zero everywhere), and stuff like energy storage (which Australia is very successfully experimenting with on moderate scales: https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2019/feb/18/tesla-big-battery-is-holding-its-own-in-a-burgeoning-energy-storage-market https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2019/feb/18/tesla-big...) goes a long way.
- EdwardDiego 7y agoStorage, I think, is where our existing grids will need to invest in heavily. I'm thinking "Batman villain with a warehouse full of giant capacitors" storage. Or, at the very least, a system where excess grid power is used to store gravitational potential energy in a reservoir.
- EdwardDiego 7y agoExactly - gas is better at responding to rapid spin ups/downs, and releases less CO2 than coal. So replacing coal with gas is still an improvement.
- stjohnswarts 7y agoOr forcing people with rooftop solar to get off the grid via intelligent controllers when it's starting to overwhelm the system, since they're the ones inducing the issue.
- rswail 7y agoSo what is needed is an intelligent grid, not more bulk power generation.
- hyperpallium 7y agoThe Big Battery of South Australia seems to be working.
- xyzzyz 7y agoAre you talking about the Elon Musk's project that can store 3 minutes of South Australia's electricity needs?
- rswail 7y agoNo, they're talking about the battery that has taken substantial costs out of the network by providing the stabilizing supply when there are swings in demand. The battery was never meant to supply "South Australia's electricity needs" and quoting that shows how the anti-renewables lobby in Australia has corrupted the debate. https://reneweconomy.com.au/how-the-tesla-big-battery-kept-the-lights-on-in-south-australia-20393/ https://reneweconomy.com.au/how-the-tesla-big-battery-kept-t...
- deleted 7y ago[deleted]
- _AzMoo 7y agoSo well that the anti-battery Liberal Party is funding its expansion.
- URSpider94 7y agoGas TURBINE plants can respond very quickly, but tend to be overall less efficient. Gas BOILERS are more efficient, but are slow to respond like coal plants.
- deleted 7y ago[deleted]