3 ms·
The issue here is that not everyone has that landscape (and as we know, doesn't want to destroy the view). I grew up in the US midwest--no hills for miles on wh
by mNovak 6y ago
The issue here is that not everyone has that landscape (and as we know, doesn't want to destroy the view). I grew up in the US midwest--no hills for miles on which to build railcars, pump hydro etc.
- dragontamer 6y agoBut high-voltage power lines can run power for hundreds of miles with minuscule losses. Look at the MISO grid: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/40/2015_MISO_Map.png https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/40/2015_MIS... There's hills somewhere in there, and those hills can form energy-storage solutions that can be transmitted across the entire MISO grid.
- adrianN 6y agoHigh voltage lines are not free. You have to compete with different energy storage that doesn't need special landscapes, e.g. batteries.
- dragontamer 6y agoHigh voltage power lines already exist. They are part of the landscape, and connect large parts of the country together. Case in point: a solar panel is Missouri could be providing power to Iowa. Bonus points: if you want to build a big battery in Iowa, you can take advantage of excess power in Iowa or Missouri. Building tiny batteries here and there will only lower your efficiency. There's a reason why a lot of discussion here is on large 100s of MW proposals: because anything smaller won't really be a big win economically. And it shouldn't be too hard to fill up 100s of MW capacity because of the nature of our large and reliable power grids here in the USA.
- tonyedgecombe 6y agoIn general more connectivity means you need less storage as it's always windy/sunny somewhere in the world.