4 ms·
I agree with your reasoning, but on this tiny rock we call Albion I'm not convinced that renewables will ever be viable for base load. I'm concerned about the
by psd1 4y ago
I agree with your reasoning, but on this tiny rock we call Albion I'm not convinced that renewables will ever be viable for base load.
I'm concerned about the tonnage requirement of strategic minerals for battery storage. Supplies for EV batteries are currently choked; we need to scale far beyond that for grid storage.
Pumped hydro at the required scale will be a feat of engineering comparable to nuclear engineering. Millions of tonnes of Portland cement will be an input.
And renewables are land-extensive; that's an impedance mismatch for us.
- pfdietz 4y agoThere are many different battery technologies being pursued. Some use uncommon materials, but others are just using elements available in essentially unlimited amounts. There are also means of storing energy in other forms. For example, storage of electrical energy as heat energy in sand could have a round trip efficiency of 54% at a quite reasonable cost. https://arpa-e.energy.gov/sites/default/files/2021-03/07%20Day1-Zhiwen%20Ma_NREL.pdf https://arpa-e.energy.gov/sites/default/files/2021-03/07%20D... (now being commercialized by Babcock & Wilcox.) The big question of storage is not if it's possible, but which of the many options will come out on top.