How Windmills as Wide as Jumbo Jets Are Making Clean Energy Mainstream

Post by Tobias42 » Mon, Apr 23, 2018, 2:28 PM UTC

rplnt wrote: post #4

shaqbert wrote: post #2

As the production costs with windpower decrease due to the technological progress, the question of grid storage and grid interconnection becomes more pressing. E.g. in Germany, they frequently have days of negative energy prices, where producers need to pay to feed energy into the greed because of overproduction of energy on windy/sunny days [0](in German). Without storage and grid interconnection, there is only so m…

As for storage, shouldn't there be plenty of hydroelectric dams that could run "backwards"? Or is there an interconnection issue you mention?

Post by jonknee » Mon, Apr 23, 2018, 2:32 PM UTC

baud147258 wrote: post #60

ocschwar wrote: post #35

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I wouldn't call wind turbines exactly clean energy, between the need to have thermic power plant on stand-by to pick up the slack Depending on the source of thermal power, the amount consumed on standby can go to 0. If you have a decent transmission grid, the amount of standby power you need goes down. And if you have hydro, your emissions go down to 0. > the metric cube of concrete poured in the ground in the midd…

The problem with wind farm is that they are often built in area with little or no human presence, which is whey I consider this a problem, especially since the grid would be further away.

Post by maxerickson » Mon, Apr 23, 2018, 2:33 PM UTC

EADGBE wrote: post #54

shaqbert wrote: post #2

As the production costs with windpower decrease due to the technological progress, the question of grid storage and grid interconnection becomes more pressing. E.g. in Germany, they frequently have days of negative energy prices, where producers need to pay to feed energy into the greed because of overproduction of energy on windy/sunny days [0](in German). Without storage and grid interconnection, there is only so m…

> frequently have days of negative energy prices, where producers need to pay to feed energy into the greed because of overproduction of energy on windy/sunny days This is one reason why I'm skeptical for home production of solar and wind for the ability to "feed back" into the grid while getting a credit on your account. If the power company is also doing this, at scale, I find it really hard to believe that there's…

Post by wrycoder » Mon, Apr 23, 2018, 2:39 PM UTC

IAmEveryone wrote: post #92

nabla9 wrote: post #70

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The cost of solar stabilizes when the cost is determined by the cost of land, energy storage, electric grid and transfer cost and installation and maintenance. If you get the conversion efficiency to the same level as photosynthesis (30% nominally) the cost of energy could approach the cost of producing biofuels.

The efficiency of photosynthesis is nowhere near 30%. It’s 3% if so.

Post by jabl » Mon, Apr 23, 2018, 2:40 PM UTC

alex_hitchins wrote: post #39

ThomPete wrote: post #19

Problem is that these are political markets not market markets. Denmark spent a lot of money on getting their windmill industry up and running and windmills still aren't solving the base problem as they aren't reliable for all sorts of weather. Furthermore, windmilss don't really scale well, Nuclear on the other hand which is both safer and more scalable and greener would change that but right now only the Chinese se…

Not disagreeing with you, but how do you come to the conclusion that Nuclear is safer and also more scaleable?