3 ms·
The question is whether the round-trip inefficiency of storing energy is greater than the cost of having energy-consuming equipment that sits idle when the sun
by tlb 3y ago
The question is whether the round-trip inefficiency of storing energy is greater than the cost of having energy-consuming equipment that sits idle when the sun isn't shining and gets stopped and started frequently.
For example, aluminum production is famously energy-intensive, but I've read it's not good for the equipment to start and stop it frequently because the reaction happens in molten aluminum salts and it hurts the equipment when you stop and it solidifies.
And while Bitcoin is energy-intensive, it's also capital intensive for the chips so it's not cost-effective to run it only part-time.
Reverse osmosis may have a good combination of high energy:capital ratio (so it doesn't waste a lot of capital on idle equipment) and not requiring complex startup/shutdown sequences.
- hitchstory 3y agoIn Germany they vary aluminium production rates in response to electricity supply (i.e. produce much less when it's less sunny and windy). They just dont turn it off completely, ever. There's probably a lot more low hanging electricity demand shifting fruit like this.
- wkat4242 3y agoThat will make production a lot more expensive, if you have production capacity laying unused for a long time. The rent, write-off etc still had to be paid but is now offset against less profit.