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Microgrids and storage cost way more than any method of generating power we are currently using. Please stop using buzzwords and look at the actual numbers.
by u320 4y ago
Microgrids and storage cost way more than any method of generating power we are currently using. Please stop using buzzwords and look at the actual numbers.
- ben_w 4y agoAt grid scale, batteries were about the same cost as a functionally equivalent fission reactor last time I looked (a few years ago). Despite which, batteries are one of the more expensive ways to store energy at scale.
- u320 4y agoI don't know where you looked then because batteries are not anywhere near low cost enough to be deployed at grid scale at the amounts required to run a grid of wind and solar. Even in a sunny climate with reliable solar output, if you assume that there is a 10% chance that in any year you will have a 10 day period of cloud cover and 50% lower solar output and your entire grid cost goes up by 5x! The math for storage is BRUTAL.
- ben_w 4y agoOnly 50%? That’s a small enough reduction that the cheapest solution is double the PV.
- deleted 4y ago[deleted]
- adgjlsfhk1 4y agoyou're ignoring how big grids can get. there has never been a day where the entire US was cloudy at the same time.
- snovv_crash 4y agoBut then you need to massively upgrade the transmission capabilities. There's no free lunch here.
- adgjlsfhk1 4y agoIt's not a free lunch, but it's a lot cheaper than not doing anything about climate change.
- snovv_crash 4y agoI don't think anyone was arguing that, it's more that geographic distribution of solar panels and windmills isn't a silver bullet and there's a reason solar and wind need expensive storage.
- salty_biscuits 4y agoI worked for years in a business providing support services for maintaining the distribution network to rural areas. The distribution network was run at a loss by the government. Please look at the numbers and stop reactively responding.