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Ask HN: What is the biggest challenge for solar energy?

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Re: Ask HN: What is the biggest challenge for solar energy?

#11

Post by reacharavindh »

I think it is political will and long term thinking.

Even today, aerial view of any place shows what a missed opportunity lies below. So many parking lots that could be covered ones with solar panels on their roofs(who invests on adding the panels? If I want to, would I be allowed to?) Same goes to the roofs of several businesses, supermarkets etc. It is not their core business to buy solar panels and invest for the longer term. Many times they are leased places, and the owner is some faceless corporate entity.

If a local politician thinks for the long term instead of what gets him/her elected the next term, they could change the city code to mandate opening up of such rooftops for community solar projects.

Secondly, the power grid needs to be strengthened/modernised to accommodate localised power generation. This ineens heavy investment.

Of course there will be the oil&gas companies that will fight every step of the way to keep the status quo because they are set to lose if people generate their own energy..

Re: Ask HN: What is the biggest challenge for solar energy?

#12

Post by carapace »

> What do you think is the biggest problem with solar energy?

Stupid people.

(Also the biggest problem with everything else. It's almost, but not quite, the only problem.)

> How can this problem be solved with our existing knowledge and resources?

Well we can't throw all the stupid people into a volcano. Let's get that out of the way right off.

Instead, we distract and hypnotize them with the Farnsworth device (Philo, not Hubert). We miniaturize it and make it portable. Then we can plug them into virtual Skinner Boxes and hopefully modify their behavior to make them less destructive.

We have to maintain tight operational security. If they ever find out what we're doing to them they will attempt to destroy us, or, failing that, to destroy themselves to spite us (that's how goddamned stupid they are!)

(However, it turns out you can talk about the plan in public with complete candor as long as you pretend you're joking. The only risk is that some of the stupid people will get confused. But since they are confused anyway it's usually moot.)

It's unpleasant to treat the bulk of humanity as ignorant and insane children who shit in camp, but the evidence is undeniable, the real question is how do we manage the stupid people?

In the Tao Te Ching (book of wisdom, thousands of years old) it says:

    With the best kind of leader
    When the work is finished
    The people all say
    "We did it ourselves."

Re: Ask HN: What is the biggest challenge for solar energy?

#13

Post by alexk307 »

BoGoToTo wrote: post #4
Things4People wrote: post #3

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It would be great if they could achieve this goal. What options do you see that could be used right away?

I think as of today the most efficient approach is pumped storage hydropower. However that is severely limited by geography

I wonder how difficult this would be to implement for consumers/smaller deployments. Could someone dig an underground pool sized hole for a tank of hot water that can be converted back to electricity?

Re: Ask HN: What is the biggest challenge for solar energy?

#14

Post by Moissanite »

bluefirebrand wrote: post #9
PaulHoule wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Big batteries. For some applications you can store heat. For instance you can have an electric heater with a lot of bricks inside an insulator box in your house and move heat out of it convectively with a fan.

> Big batteries Invest in Lithium mines.

For static applications, wouldn't we be better off with batteries based on Sodium chemistry? Less efficient, but removing the geopolitics from one of the main components feels like a pretty big compensating factor.

Re: Ask HN: What is the biggest challenge for solar energy?

#15

Post by Moissanite »

Efficient allocation is one big problem. Given the assumption that solar panel production will lag the optimum demand for a good while, the panels we do produce should be installed in places which maximize their output, modulo efficiency of transmission to a population centre. So, Sahara desert is out of the question, but Northern Europe is not ideal either. Arizona, Nevada and Texas should be blanketed.

Re: Ask HN: What is the biggest challenge for solar energy?

#16

Post by PaulHoule »

Moissanite wrote: post #14
bluefirebrand wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Big batteries Invest in Lithium mines.

For static applications, wouldn't we be better off with batteries based on Sodium chemistry? Less efficient, but removing the geopolitics from one of the main components feels like a pretty big compensating factor.

Don't forget flow batteries using iron, vanadium and other chemistries, as well as various sorts of molten-salt batteries. For fixed installations we could put up with many inconvenient attributes if it gets the cost down.

Re: Ask HN: What is the biggest challenge for solar energy?

#17

Post by liketochill »

Permitting to build the solar farms and any necessary transmission lines are the number one challenge. See the opposition to solar projects in hawaii or transmission line project in Maine. Classic nimby stuff.

Sadly not a technical problem that is easily solved.

Re: Ask HN: What is the biggest challenge for solar energy?

#18

Post by DrunkCanadian »

carapace wrote: post #12

> What do you think is the biggest problem with solar energy? Stupid people. (Also the biggest problem with everything else. It's almost, but not quite, the only problem.) > How can this problem be solved with our existing knowledge and resources? Well we can't throw all the stupid people into a volcano. Let's get that out of the way right off. Instead, we distract and hypnotize them with the Farnsworth device (Philo…

"Claiming to be wise, they became fools" - Proverbs 1:22 (book of wisdom, also thousands of years old)

Re: Ask HN: What is the biggest challenge for solar energy?

#19

Post by jetanoia »

DrunkCanadian wrote: post #18
carapace wrote: post #12

> What do you think is the biggest problem with solar energy? Stupid people. (Also the biggest problem with everything else. It's almost, but not quite, the only problem.) > How can this problem be solved with our existing knowledge and resources? Well we can't throw all the stupid people into a volcano. Let's get that out of the way right off. Instead, we distract and hypnotize them with the Farnsworth device (Philo…

"Claiming to be wise, they became fools" - Proverbs 1:22 (book of wisdom, also thousands of years old)

Love that quote. it’s from pauls letter to the Romans, not Proverbs

Re: Ask HN: What is the biggest challenge for solar energy?

#20

Post by CrypticShift »

> What is the biggest challenge for solar energy?

If you factor in all the cycle energy (making, disposing, replacing…), What is the real current total energy balance of solar energy (versus others)?

I'm wondering because solar is very tech intensive. So if you build a 1 billion dollars farm, 10 years later the technology is a lot more efficient. Are you going to replace it all?

To be honest, this is more like a question too: How big of a problem is this , energetically speaking?

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