News for hackers. Stuff that matters.
Re:The rise of solar is ‘jeopardising the grid’ and it's a l... by int_19h on Monday December 02, 2019 @05:10PM (#21687596)
Russia is an example of a country that is much larger, and also sparsely populated.

And I'm still confused - what kind of "uncommon materials" are we talking about? What exactly is the problem with normal power delivery infrastructure that precludes it from operating at high temps?

Re:The rise of solar is ‘jeopardising the grid’ and it's a l... by ceejayoz on Tuesday December 03, 2019 @10:02AM (#21692796)
https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1748-9326/11/11/1...

> Elevated air temperatures can reduce the rated capacity of electric transmission lines, meaning that their ability to transmit power will be diminished during peak hours.

That said, it looks like it's just a couple percent, so maybe you just overbuild a little.

Re:The rise of solar is ‘jeopardising the grid’ and it's a l... by int_19h on Tuesday December 03, 2019 @08:28PM (#21698793)
Solar panels are also less efficient when it's hot, but these are all just losses that can be overcome by throwing more panels at it. If you have a giant desert, it's basically free energy for the taking - you just need to make that initial investment. And unlike e.g. Sahara, there's well-developed infrastructure around the desert, nor are there issues with political instability.