Datadog dashboard for the Texas power grid • Hacker News Board

Re: Datadog dashboard for the Texas power grid

#91

Post by calaphos » Mon, Jul 25, 2022, 9:40 AM UTC

jlawer wrote: post #88

Chilko wrote: post #45

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I found this really interesting as well as here in New Zealand that relationship is inverted - we don't typically have residential air conditioning yet use a lot of electric heating so our peak demand is in the mornings and evenings, and most intense in the winter. This makes the business case for solar a lot trickier here as the periods of max generation (daytime during the summer) coincides with low demand and subs…

It makes we wonder if something like the Australia-Asia power link would make sense. 2.2GW would be enough to cover current Gas, Coal and Diesel generation for NZ. With sufficient storage (Batteries, Pumped Hydro), you could recharge in the day, carry load into the evening peak, before switching to stored power. Initial cost would be higher, but long term cost of Solar is ridiculously cheap.

> It makes we wonder if something like the Australia-Asia power link would make sense.

There is the AAPowerLink project which proposes exactly this. It's a ~20GW solar farm in Australia with battery storage and a 4500km HVDC undersea cable to export power to Singapore. Seems currently in a planning and Project seems to be in a planning and exploration stage with funding not fully secured though.

Re: Datadog dashboard for the Texas power grid

#92

Post by voxadam » Mon, Jul 25, 2022, 9:48 AM UTC

Mvandenbergh wrote: post #90

chasd00 wrote: post #55

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What does it take to setup a decent size solar farm? There’s a lot of cheap, flat, easy to develop land in far west Texas (Brewster county).

Grid connection, land use permissions (i.e. local planning). The latter is very easy in rural Texas so just the former really.

Don't forget about environmental studies and approval.

Re: Datadog dashboard for the Texas power grid

#93

Post by OliverJones » Mon, Jul 25, 2022, 9:49 AM UTC

I wish this were available for my power grid vendor. They send me emails in hot weather begging me to turn off my oven and ac. I know they send similar emails to much bigger power users too. It would be very nice if they had this data available, so big power users could plan.

Sometime in the next few years, power grid vendors will start to understand they're in the real-time information business.

Re: Datadog dashboard for the Texas power grid

#94

Post by repler » Mon, Jul 25, 2022, 9:50 AM UTC

ravedave5 wrote: post #59

repler wrote: post #49

Some context: wind power is falling short during peak demand recently. https://www.realclearenergy.org/articles/2022/07/24/this_one...

That is the most slanted site I have read in quite some time. Should not be trusted.

I noted that as well, but it did give context for why it’s worth looking at this data right now.

For me it was relevant to answer “oh that interesting, someone posted this ERCOT data I wonder what’s going this week”

Kind of weird my comment was downvoted so heavily - but whatever. The dashboard was posted to Reddit over a year ago during DIFFERENT issues for ERCOT so it seemed relevant to find out what’s going on this time around.

Re: Datadog dashboard for the Texas power grid

#95

Post by blitzar » Mon, Jul 25, 2022, 9:54 AM UTC

dvasdekis wrote: post #14

The surprising inference from me, as an energy layman, is that solar output coincides with periods of peak demand. Obviously this is seasonally adjusted, but in an era when the Saudis have solar contracts being supplied for $10USD/MWh [0], the potential profits for a solar provider at periods of peak demand seem more than sufficient to encourage investment, especially with interest rates still at a historic low for b…

The first thing I did was move the mouse over the demand curve and noticed that it was 1:1 with something in the wind / solar box. It is almost too obvious that there should be 20-30GW of solar installed.

So much for "sometimes the wind doesnt blow" as well. Looks like they are doing just fine with their wind power in texas.

Re: Datadog dashboard for the Texas power grid

#96

Post by blitzar » Mon, Jul 25, 2022, 10:00 AM UTC

oldjavacoder wrote: post #57

maxerickson wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Solar capacity in Texas tripled since last summer . https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2022/07/21/heat-ener...

Quoted post unavailable.

> ego so big he made his rocket look like a sex toy

not sure if you have noticed but rockets, misiles, bullets, skyscrapers are all phallic symbols.

Sick burn against a person saying their phallus looks like a phallus though

Re: Datadog dashboard for the Texas power grid

#97

Post by dd36 » Mon, Jul 25, 2022, 10:01 AM UTC

epistasis wrote: post #27

dvasdekis wrote: post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Thanks! Makes sense if it's being built as fast as possible given the number of workers available for installation.

Solar is actually super super hard to install right now, because tariffs are in an uncertain space, so nobody knows if, should they import, if they are are going to get a bill in the next 12 months for past sales that's 1x-2x the cost of the import (I forget the exact factor). This sort of protectionism isn't even buying us a bunch of local solar panel production, unfortunately. I'm not a free-market purist, and am i…

That’s surely the purpose. Natural gas and coal interests want chaos and uncertainty in solar coated with a glaze of misdirection.

Re: Datadog dashboard for the Texas power grid

#98

Post by dzhiurgis » Mon, Jul 25, 2022, 10:07 AM UTC

Chilko wrote: post #45

dvasdekis wrote: post #14

The surprising inference from me, as an energy layman, is that solar output coincides with periods of peak demand. Obviously this is seasonally adjusted, but in an era when the Saudis have solar contracts being supplied for $10USD/MWh [0], the potential profits for a solar provider at periods of peak demand seem more than sufficient to encourage investment, especially with interest rates still at a historic low for b…

I found this really interesting as well as here in New Zealand that relationship is inverted - we don't typically have residential air conditioning yet use a lot of electric heating so our peak demand is in the mornings and evenings, and most intense in the winter. This makes the business case for solar a lot trickier here as the periods of max generation (daytime during the summer) coincides with low demand and subs…

I've seen this idea elsewhere, but for latitudes like NZ it makes sense to tilt panels in a way that it optimises for winter & morning/evening sun.

Also wonder how much kWh batteries one would need for winter heating (generate at day, use at evening). Kinda feel NZ, especially north island should have enough. Over in Eastern Europe you can get recycled batteries for $150/kWh!

Re: Datadog dashboard for the Texas power grid

#99

Post by arminsergiony » Mon, Jul 25, 2022, 10:20 AM UTC

What kind of information are we, as energy layman, supposed to glean from this? How can one present data in a way that conveys actual significance to the audience? All of this information, yet I still don't feel any wiser.

Re: Datadog dashboard for the Texas power grid

#100

Post by zbrozek » Mon, Jul 25, 2022, 10:26 AM UTC

dx034 wrote: post #85

baq wrote: post #80

Earlier quoted context omitted.

don't worry, the grid in EU isn't issue-free by any standard and solar and electric cars will do it no good at all.

I know it's not issue free. But Europeans tend to pay a premium to avoid its shortcomings rather than have blackouts. And I prefer that over having cheaper electricity but with a threat of blackouts.

I don't think most Europeans pay more for electricity than most Californians.

California's largest utility, PG&E, would top this list:

https://www.electricrate.com/data-center/electricity-prices-...