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What if fusion was combined with renewables? Meaning fusion served similar role as batteries. Storage costs are really high so fusion might be competitive in th
by socialdemocrat 6y ago
What if fusion was combined with renewables? Meaning fusion served similar role as batteries. Storage costs are really high so fusion might be competitive in that space. What I am thinking of is using output from fusion in molten salt storage.
Generators are coupled to this thermal storage. When wind and sun is good, there is a continuous build up of heat stored in molten salt by fusion reactor. When it is low, net heat gets drained from molten salt storage to power steam generators.
- XorNot 6y agoAt this level of planning, it would likely be easier to just lay the superconducting undersea cables and start building massive solar on opposite sides of the planet. The reality of energy today is we basically have the technology to cleanly power the human race for the rest of it's existence - politics and tribalism is why we can't.
- pfdietz 6y ago> What if fusion was combined with renewables? Meaning fusion served similar role as batteries. Fusion, like fission, is a high fixed cost, low variable cost power source. The cost of energy from such a source escalates rapidly as capacity factor goes down. They are very poorly suited as backup sources for intermittent use. Hydrogen (made by electrolysis from renewables and stored underground, then burned in $400/kW turbine power plants) would be much cheaper as a backup source.