6 ms·
Operating electrical power grids requires a very careful balance between production and consumption. Long term trends are regulated on the consumption side thro
by Lichtso 2y ago
Operating electrical power grids requires a very careful balance between production and consumption. Long term trends are regulated on the consumption side through pricing, short term jitter is regulated on the production side through switching power plants on and off.
Traditionally, a power grid only had medium and large power plants, and they are not only connected to the power grid but also a control network. Adding many small power generators poses a problem in how you communicate and coordinate with them.
"Connecting Solar to the Grid is Harder Than You Think"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7G4ipM2qjfw https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7G4ipM2qjfw
- Gasp0de 2y agoAlthough 800w per household shouldn't make a difference for the grid.
- bluGill 2y ago800w for your house won't make a difference. Multiply by millions of households and that is real power that will make a difference.
- tweepy 2y agoYou could think the other way around: what prevent every citizen from a region to switch ON or OFF a 7kW load at the same time (such as an EV)
- Gasp0de 2y ago800w is the maximum being produced, and not all of it will be fed into the grid. And it is unlikely that millions of households have all installed powerplants which are all oriented in the same direction and not shaded.
- bluGill 2y agoGermany is 84 million people. If 1% have solar and they currently average to 400 watts (half capacity from their 800 watts because of positional and shading issues) that is 33 Gigawatts. That much power if not managed will cause problems for any grid.
- Gasp0de 2y agoNo, if 1% of them produce 400w that is actually only 320 Megawatts.