3 ms·

A simple problem if you're willing to pump that water uphill while the sun is shining.

• lm28469 5y ago
  ""Simple"" if you have the topography/natural resources to build it in the first place, ie not that simple
  • pydry 5y ago
    http://re100.eng.anu.edu.au/global/ http://re100.eng.anu.edu.au/global/ This seems to think that there are 100x as many topogrophical options as are required under pessimistic circumstances.
    • lm28469 5y ago
      Sucks to be in Europe I guess, which is where I'm based. It should be done everywhere it can be done cheaply but it's still no viable alternative
      • Arnt 5y ago
        Oh, there are nice sites in Europe that aren't listed there. Old mines have been discussed, for example. I'm guessing that the big problem today is that there isn't a large price difference between night and day. I'm sure you can find an old mine with enough land to build a ground-level water reservoir above it, but you can't buy nearly free solar power at noon and sell expensive power at night. Once there's enough solar/wind power generation capability to cover its needs on average days, there'll be cheap power to be had for anyone who who can use power only when the sun is shining brightly or the wind blowing strongly. At that point the economics of these schemes may make sense, and it may be worth someone's while to try to solve the practical/legal problems.