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Batteries are the most expensive storage alternative. They have advantages for load-leveling, but beyond a few minutes or, in smaller grids, hours, other media
by ncmncm 5y ago
Batteries are the most expensive storage alternative. They have advantages for load-leveling, but beyond a few minutes or, in smaller grids, hours, other media will turn out better. Bigger utilities will prefer pumped hydro for short-term storage, anywhere it is practical.
Synthetic chemical fuels -- hydrogen and ammonia -- are compelling for longer-term storage, despite their currently low round-trip efficiency. These can be synthesized and then shipped where needed, and may be produced continually even after local tankage is full, to be sold on as fuel, industrial feedstock, and fertilizer, generating revenue. Then, there is no downside to massive overbuilding of generating capacity: all capacity generates revenue, up to market saturation.
Places slower to build out renewables will find these new fuels much cheaper than oil and natural gas, and will easily convert to burning them.
Their round-trip efficiency will only ever increase, with continual progress in catalysis, eventually favoring fuel cells over reuse of existing turbines.
- panick21_ 5y ago> Bigger utilities will prefer pumped hydro for short-term storage, anywhere it is practical. Is there any pumped hydro in flat land anywhere deployed on large scale? > Synthetic chemical fuels -- hydrogen and ammonia -- are compelling for longer-term storage, despite their currently low round-trip efficiency. Not really. > Then, there is no downside to massive overbuilding of generating capacity: all capacity generates revenue, up to market saturation. And then you need lots and lots of electrolysis that will all operate at low utility. I would be on batteries before I would on hydrogen.
- adrianN 5y agoWhy do you dismiss hydrogen, ammonia and other forms of chemical storage without giving any arguments? Many people believe that they are suitable for the task.
- ncmncm 5y agoI see that you missed the point about selling on chemical production after local tankage is full. A full battery is just full. A full tank can be shipped out and an empty dropped in. Tankage is much cheaper than batteries. Electrolysers will be idle only when you are drawing down from tanks.