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The author mentioned just such an energy storage tech: water.
by jeffrallen 6y ago
The author mentioned just such an energy storage tech: water.
- lukev 6y agoWater (pumped hydro) storage is really great, but only works well at scale where the geographic features support it.
- stucomp 6y agothe article mentioned desalinating water as a way to use negatively priced energy and storing the value in a commodity for sale or consumption at a later date, not pumped hydro storage
- tuatoru 6y agoStored water for hydro power generation is also a commodity for later sale or consumption.
- robocat 6y agoExisting hydro (not pumped) also acts as storage: a decrease in the load on a normal hydro dam means more stored power... and all the infrastructure exists including grid connection.
- abe_m 6y agoIt a lot of cases that doesn't happen. The water levels in the headwaters and the amount of flow on the downstream river are controlled with goals other than power production. Like not causing floods, and having enough water depth for navigation. In Ontario, Canada, if the plant doesn't run at capacity, generally the water is sent through the spillway without generating power. I'd assume that to be common in many hydro-electric installations.
- jdbernard 6y agoTo be fair, they didn't really mention water as a battery. Yes, they used the phrase "bottled electricity", but that was in reference to the large energy cost of desalination. You can't then get the energy back out like you could with an elevated lake.
- DoctorOetker 6y agobut you can schedule large swathes of energy intensive industries that don't rely on human fingers so that they happen at cheap power and no longer happen at expensive power. humans don't desalinate water with their bare hands...
- AceJohnny2 6y agoThe problem with water is that to make it cost-effective requires appropriate geologic configuration and massive infrastructure investment. In California for example, all the appropriate locations are used, there are no more viable locations (according to the USGS)
- aaronblohowiak 6y agoWhat about electric water heaters? I am unfamiliar with the usage patterns and losses over time, but having my home water heater having some variability in temperature would be ok with me — I’d simply adjust the handle in the shower.
- rocqua 6y agoColleagues of mine are working on a system using these kinds of water heaters. Specifically, they are working for a standardized protocol to allow these devices to negotiate prices / indicate to the grid how much they could take. From what I heard they said something like a half-time for the heat in these devices of about 1 to 2 days.
- Scoundreller 6y agoCould do the same with freezers. And maybe a few degrees with fridges. And boost those with phase-change materials at the right thaw points.
- cmurphycode 6y agoWith a properly installed thermostatic mixing valve, you don't even need that. The water will always exit at a safe, constant-ish temperature regardless of the water temperature in the heater, by mixing in the cold supply.
- scottlamb 6y agoInteresting idea. It'd have to be done carefully because there are problems with going too cold or too hot: * Too cold: Legionnaire's disease. Presumably not right away, so maybe there's some wiggle room if you're careful about timing. * Too hot: scalding, particularly if you have kids. Maybe a new design could have a thermostatic valve on the output to give more flexibility.
- imtringued 6y agoYou can't build pumped hydro storage. You can only "discover" suitable sites.