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You say expand to 70% for 10% of the time. You mean you want to multiply several times over the number of generator halls, penstocks, turbines, generators, and
by erentz 5y ago
You say expand to 70% for 10% of the time. You mean you want to multiply several times over the number of generator halls, penstocks, turbines, generators, and water outflow from existing hydro schemes? There isn't the space for all that. And the cost would be astronomical. Plus the environmental impact of having several times the outflow from most dams at full power would be incredible. You could maybe at a stretch 1.5x it across the US on average. But most plans to expand hydro scheme output around the developed world get met with incredible resistance.
- Retric 5y agoIncreasing peak flow from dams is actually great for the environment as flooding is part of the natural ecosystem, this actually doesn’t go far enough to simulate natural variability. Also, dams don’t operate anywhere close to 100% 24/7, what I am describing is generally closer to a 2x increase in maximum generating capacity than 10x which isn’t free but the value of electricity produced would be vastly high more than making up for these costs. I don’t get objections like this: There isn't the space for all that. That’s not an inherent limitation, people built these dams in the first place, we can remove them and build a new structure if that’s what it takes. Don’t flood properties downstream is a perfectly reasonable limitation, don’t build any new infrastructure isn’t. 2019 we produced 100x as much solar power as in 2009, change happens.