this post was submitted on 30 Aug 2023
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[–] BombOmOm -3 points 1 year ago (1 children)

How does one provide power when the renewables don't provide enough power (nights, etc)? Our current solution is natural gas. Nuclear is a huge step up as a carbon-free provider.

[–] IchNichtenLichten 6 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Storage, there are many options. Pumped hydro is great for places with elevation change, molten salt is great for desert climates. Batteries, green hydrogen, compressed gas, etc.

We've been storing energy for thousands of years. It's not difficult in the way nuclear fusion, SMRs, or thorium are difficult.

We're also moving towards EVs. I'd like to see investment in using a fleet of connected EVs as a giant battery. Your energy company can pay you for making 10-15% of your EV battery available for grid storage and you can opt out if you need that extra range for a trip.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 1 year ago (2 children)

The largest battery on the planet would power my workplace for less than two hours- if it could meet the instant demand, which it cannot.

I'm all for energy storage, but I realise there's a lot of work to do.

[–] IchNichtenLichten 3 points 1 year ago (1 children)

1,200MW isn't enough? Where do you work?

Why do you think batteries can't meet instant demand? That's kind of their whole thing.

https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2021/feb/05/worlds-biggest-battery-with-1200mw-capacity-set-to-be-built-in-nsw-hunter-valley-australia

[–] [email protected] 0 points 1 year ago (1 children)

We draw a very consistent 950MW, 24hrs a day.

The battery you linked, if it goes ahead, will max out delivery at 400MW, which it can sustain for 3 hours before its 1200MWh storage is exhausted.

Batteries can deliver power instantly, but not beyond their max output.

There's heaps of interest and proposals, and I hope they go ahead. But there's a lot of work to do.

[–] IchNichtenLichten 2 points 1 year ago (1 children)

We draw a very consistent 950MW, 24hrs a day.

Right, but you realize that's far from typical for a workplace?

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago

Yes, but, funnily enough, we produce a lot of stuff for the renewable energy industry.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago

For processes like that though, nuclear would make the electricity too expensive to be economic, renewables wouldn't.

[–] [email protected] -3 points 1 year ago (2 children)

The article talks about the coming droughts and water shortages. Pumped hydro is nice, if you have water.

[–] IchNichtenLichten 3 points 1 year ago

There's evaporation, which can be mitigated by floating solar panels, but pumped hydro is a closed system, it doesn't consume water.

[–] schroedingershat 1 points 1 year ago

You save the water in a hole, then pump it back and forth. You can cover it with PV to stop evaporation

This is also good for the droughts as you have emergency water.