3 ms·
There is always some place on Earth where it's windy, where the sun shines, where it's summer. I have no idea if transporting such high loads on a global grid i
by pmontra 3y ago
There is always some place on Earth where it's windy, where the sun shines, where it's summer. I have no idea if transporting such high loads on a global grid is feasible (let's say Australia's summer sun powering Europe in winter nights) but that probably works better in a peaceful world.
- defrost 3y ago> let's say Australia's summer sun powering Europe in winter nights https://www.afr.com/companies/energy/germany-s-660m-pitch-for-australia-s-green-hydrogen-20240118-p5ey7m https://www.afr.com/companies/energy/germany-s-660m-pitch-fo... Not all energy is electricity, this is a deal for Australian sunlight --> Hydrogen | Ammonia --> Germany https://arena.gov.au/blog/hydrogen-deal-unites-australian-innovation-with-german-expertise/ https://arena.gov.au/blog/hydrogen-deal-unites-australian-in...
- Animats 3y agoAveraging over subcontinent-sized areas still leaves a 4:1 wind variation in wind output over a day. You can look at the data for the PJM grid (most of the east coast) and the CAISO grid (most of the west coast), and see 4:1 ranges most days. Tying the east and west coast together is technically feasible. China has a megavolt DC grid with links thousands of miles long. (China's cheap energy sources are in the northwest, while the big loads are in the southeast, so that makes sense.) But it doesn't seem to make sense for the US. The US wind belt is roughly from the Texas panhandle north to Canada. That area does not, as yet, have enough links to either coast.