The Environment Thread :-)
59 watchers
May 2024
11:44am, 29 May 2024
50,126 posts
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HappyG(rrr)
Wow, that is way more complicated than I thought. Thanks YC for explaining. I can see how gaps between estimates and actuals could definitely be an area for error or deliberate game playing. Not good. We need more storage though, right? Crazy to be having to pay to stop free energy from being generated?  G
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May 2024
12:39pm, 29 May 2024
17,167 posts
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jda
Of course more storage would be good, but then again, it needs to be regularly used or else you're sinking money into infrastructure that isn't cost-effective. So the rare extreme cases are always likely to exceed our capacities.
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Jun 2024
10:32am, 24 Jun 2024
22,491 posts
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rf_fozzy
Solar "S" curve hits the rapid growth phase..... nitter.poast.org |
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Jun 2024
10:44am, 24 Jun 2024
50,284 posts
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HappyG(rrr)
Funny I saw exactly the same graph on my LinkedIn (I don't do twitter, x etc.) linkedin.com Great news. But follow ups from others about the importance of batteries to smooth supply and demand too. G
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Jun 2024
10:49am, 24 Jun 2024
22,492 posts
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rf_fozzy
Not initially - batteries important, but probably overbuilding initially the solution.
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Jun 2024
11:49am, 24 Jun 2024
50,285 posts
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HappyG(rrr)
Agree, no problem with overbuilding and even with over supply. If inefficiency is the worst risk it's a price worth paying, I'd say. Very happy to be part of that solution - as my wee car charges with free electrons from the sky! G
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Jun 2024
1:47pm, 24 Jun 2024
17,332 posts
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jda
Overbuilding is never going to work through the night, however hard we cross our fingers. But we’re certainly at the low hanging fruit stage where basically everything is good.
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Jun 2024
1:54pm, 24 Jun 2024
22,494 posts
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rf_fozzy
*facepalm* I wasn't suggesting that 100% of generation should solar. Don't be so obtuse. |
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Jun 2024
6:05pm, 24 Jun 2024
17,337 posts
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jda
I’m not being obtuse, we already have multiple reports of people making good use of batteries.
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Jun 2024
7:48pm, 24 Jun 2024
22,499 posts
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rf_fozzy
You were and are being obtuse. Again. I never suggested 100% solar, nor not using batteries. What I *did* say was that *initially* overbuilding is going to be more important == cheaper than building grid or local storage. Reason I have for thinking this is that it's as said above - cheaper - to displace the generation of amortised coal and gas plants (and maybe solar) - the LCOE for new onshore wind is now cheaper than the marginal cost of keeping an old FF plant going. Utility scale solar is close and now at the point (if not passed it already) where it will join that club. *However* when you add in the cost of storage, the LCOE of Solar/Wind + storage isn't yet quite enough to displace existing generation capacity. See lazard.com But I understand that there are a number of new chemistries which may prove cheaper and with greater storage capacities reaching commercial exploitation, so the hope will be that they will increase the price drops. I do not think Li-Ion batteries will be able to supply grid storage on a scale required across the world (albeit, the amount we need to store is probably less than many envisage). |
Useful Links
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- Carbon Commentary carboncommentary.com
- UK ombudsman for problems with electricity or gas
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