Re:Solar Just Hit a Record Low Price in the U.S
by reaperducer on Wednesday July 11, 2018 @03:43PM
(#17509734)
Plus, just because the sun goes down doesn't mean all solar generating stations stop making electricity.
I'm not even remotely an expert in this field, but the towers at the solar furnaces I've seen continue to glow well into the night, meaning they're hot enough to still generate steam, and thus electricity, long after it's dark.
I don't expect they generate electricity all night, but maybe not as much energy needs to be stored as people assume.
Re:Solar Just Hit a Record Low Price in the U.S
by abfan1127 on Wednesday July 11, 2018 @04:33PM
(#17510071)
the solar furnaces take time to heat up in the morning too, so its more of a skew of time, rather than a stretch of operating time, although depending on the efficiency, it may stretch too.
Re:Solar Just Hit a Record Low Price in the U.S
by CyberDildonics on Wednesday July 11, 2018 @04:54PM
(#17510199)
Not only that, but solar generated in one place can supply electricity to areas where the sun has not hit yet, and likewise after the sun goes down, those same places can draw power from further west.
Re:Solar Just Hit a Record Low Price in the U.S
by aalleavitch on Wednesday July 11, 2018 @08:57PM
(#17511440)
I like the idea of having essentially a grid “wave”: in the morning your power comes from the East, in the evening it comes from the West.
Unless you're trying to power the grid with a single power plant (like on a small island), argument made above doesn't hold. The grid is a network of generators (and loads) with different operating characteristics.