3 ms·

right and i get that however, it's not a viable solution at all. A big reason why the current transmission network is so reliable is because of scale. You canno

right and i get that however, it's not a viable solution at all. A big reason why the current transmission network is so reliable is because of scale. You cannot recreate scale even if you band together with your neighbours to build a microgrid and you certainly cannot achieve scale on your own. Outlying customers are difficult to service in regular times because there are many failure points and few redundancies. The solution to this is not for every farm to install solar PV as a substitute to the grid but to shore up transmission and distribution infrastructure. Anyone who's lived in the high arctic will tell you that the #1 reason they are clamouring for connections to the continental grid is reliability. Solar, wind and even diesel generation are just not as reliable or sustainable.

ZeroGravitas 5y ago
Yeah, I think we generally agree. You see some people talking about solar and battery storage as if it makes (or is intended to make) each home self-sufficient, when the reality is that homes with solar and batteries that are also connected to the grid is the mainstream future. Solar installs on e.g. remote mining sites are already starting to conplement and then edge out diesel generators so there are off grid use cases but if you have a grid then the most efficient thing is to use it in most cases. But outlying customers in sunny areas are almost certainly going to benefit financially and in terms of reliability if the grid encourages them to install PV and batteries that talk to and work with the grid. Whether a grid owner will actually be incented to do so is a different question.
mindslight 5y ago
It's not about pure reliability numbers, but rather control. If my only source of electricity is the grid, then when the grid goes down, there is literally nothing I can do about it but wait and hope while all the things I use grid electricity for slowly fall apart. Whereas if I have some local generation, I can retain some functionality regardless of what the grid operators do. Solar has the further advantage that it doesn't require ongoing fuel, so you're not dependent on that infrastructure either. Sizing a battery system to accommodate your usual lifestyle while it's dark is a bit silly, but a modest amount of storage that can supply say an average of 200W will get you quite far (fridge, sump pump, lighting, internet uplink, laptop).

ZeroGravitas 5y ago

Yeah, I think we generally agree. You see some people talking about solar and battery storage as if it makes (or is intended to make) each home self-sufficient, when the reality is that homes with solar and batteries that are also connected to the grid is the mainstream future. Solar installs on e.g. remote mining sites are already starting to conplement and then edge out diesel generators so there are off grid use cases but if you have a grid then the most efficient thing is to use it in most cases. But outlying customers in sunny areas are almost certainly going to benefit financially and in terms of reliability if the grid encourages them to install PV and batteries that talk to and work with the grid. Whether a grid owner will actually be incented to do so is a different question.

mindslight 5y ago

It's not about pure reliability numbers, but rather control. If my only source of electricity is the grid, then when the grid goes down, there is literally nothing I can do about it but wait and hope while all the things I use grid electricity for slowly fall apart. Whereas if I have some local generation, I can retain some functionality regardless of what the grid operators do. Solar has the further advantage that it doesn't require ongoing fuel, so you're not dependent on that infrastructure either. Sizing a battery system to accommodate your usual lifestyle while it's dark is a bit silly, but a modest amount of storage that can supply say an average of 200W will get you quite far (fridge, sump pump, lighting, internet uplink, laptop).