California’s switch to a primarily solar and wind-powered grid is a dead end(old.reddit.com)
old.reddit.com
California’s switch to a primarily solar and wind-powered grid is a dead end
https://old.reddit.com/r/climateskeptics/comments/qcgkyw/transition_to_nowhere_californias_switch_to_a/
3 comments
https://calmatters.org/commentary/my-turn/2021/05/will-calif...
It looks like we are going for blackouts here in California.
It looks like we are going for blackouts here in California.
Ya, it's not looking good.
Really nice analysis of the non-viability of wind and solar:
> Such realities expose the silliness of the oft-repeated claim that solar or wind power have achieved “grid parity,” meaning that they can produce electricity for about the same cost per kilowatt-hour as a conventional machine—when they’re running. To match the energy produced by one conventional machine each year, and for years on end, you need at least two solar/wind machines, plus the batteries. That combination puts the sun/wind/battery option at roughly triple the capital cost of grid-scale conventional power. Even so, the cost for 12 hours of storage at U.S. grid-level alone would be about $1.5 trillion, and that would still leave the nation episodically in the dark. The alternative? A conventional grid with about $100 billion worth of conventional backup/peakers.
The only really sensible option at this point is nuclear and then maybe eventually hydrogen and fusion.