Re:Ask HN: What can be done to prevent a climate catastrophe?
by Retric on Wednesday October 10, 2018 @09:31PM
(#18190407)
First, most city’s have a lot of space for solar and can easily import wind power. ~66w/m2 average over 24 hours is 66 MW per km^2 / the percentage covered in panels and really adds up.
Wind really can't be calm for long periods over large areas because large areas will always have temperatures differences.
It's like saying what if the sun does not rise tomorrow? If that's actually happening you have much bigger problems.
Load following nuclear power plants become even more expensive. Not a huge deal on nuclear subs, but a major issue for civilian infrastructure. Just like energy storage they simply increase the cost of energy above alternatives.
PS: Now if you could get nuclear without any form of subsides down to about 2.5c/kWh then running 24/7 or peaking power with average load's of around 30% down at around 8c/kWh then I would agree it had a major place. But, it's just no where near those numbers.
Wind really can't be calm for long periods over large areas because large areas will always have temperatures differences.
It's like saying what if the sun does not rise tomorrow? If that's actually happening you have much bigger problems.
Load following nuclear power plants become even more expensive. Not a huge deal on nuclear subs, but a major issue for civilian infrastructure. Just like energy storage they simply increase the cost of energy above alternatives.
PS: Now if you could get nuclear without any form of subsides down to about 2.5c/kWh then running 24/7 or peaking power with average load's of around 30% down at around 8c/kWh then I would agree it had a major place. But, it's just no where near those numbers.