On Wed, Jun 19, 2013 at 03:29:30PM +0530, Srini RamaKrishnan wrote: > On Wed, Jun 19, 2013 at 1:39 PM, Eugen Leitl <[email protected]> wrote: > >> in rich countries. In the end, though, they too will change as the > >> alternatives become normal, and what was once normal becomes quaintly > >> old-fashioned. > > > > It has been quaintly old-fashioned for many years now where I sit. > > Renewables don't work when the sun doesn't shine, the wind doesn't
Do look at the actual data in http://www.ise.fraunhofer.de/en/downloads-englisch/pdf-files-englisch/news/electricity-production-from-solar-and-wind-in-germany-in-2013.pdf http://www.ise.fraunhofer.de/en/downloads-englisch/pdf-files-englisch/news/electricity-production-from-solar-and-wind-in-germany-in-2012.pdf http://www.ise.fraunhofer.de/en/downloads-englisch/pdf-files-englisch/news/electricity-production-from-solar-and-wind-in-germany-in-2011.pdf Notice that most of it is very predictable, several days in advance. > blow or the water doesn't flow - so most of Europe keeps its thermal > capacity critically active (40-50% fuel load) even when there's The problem with gas peak plants is that they run just a few weeks per year, and are not economic without subsidies. The reason coal hasn't gone the way of the dodo (and the nuke) is political. It does increasingly look there will be a premature exit from coal. > renewable energy aplenty. This is a problem that won't be solved until > we can figure out how to store and normalize the energy or cheaply MWh scale battery storage is making very good advance, and EV battery storage does it at well. You need about an EV scale battery for night cycling. Germany's natural gas grid can currently buffer 3 months. We know natural gas lines can tolerate 5-15% of hydrogen without refitting, so hydrogen from water electrolysis and synmethane (via Sabatier) are likely ways to absorb surplus of renewables (which already happens regularly, and will become a permanent fixture rather soon). > distribute it. > > France does something interesting with spare nuclear power - they pump It's interesting that France import electricity during winter from nonuclear Germany -- for electric heating -- and in the summer -- because during heat spells they have to shut down the reactors. > water up into mountain dams in Switzerland, and gain back the power on Works where you have such terrain. Don't think this will ever viable in the plains. > demand via hydroelectric turbines.
