Re:ITER: World's largest nuclear fusion project begins assembly
by dantillberg on Tuesday July 28, 2020 @06:10PM
(#23981222)
You could imagine building a globe-spanning power distribution network. Solar panels on one side of the planet could provide power at night on the other side of the planet.
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Re:ITER: World's largest nuclear fusion project begins assembly
by cwhiz on Tuesday July 28, 2020 @06:40PM
(#23981445)
If we could transmit power across vast distances like that then we wouldn't even need to bother with solar. We could build a thousand nuclear power plants in the middle of nowhere.
Unfortunately, power transmission suffers from line losses. Even a few hundred miles requires several hundred thousand volts to avoid losses. Maybe that's an easier problem to solve than fusion.
Re:ITER: World's largest nuclear fusion project begins assembly
by Ygg2 on Tuesday July 28, 2020 @06:52PM
(#23981542)
You'd JUST need to move current from AC to DC, and span the whole of earth with superconductor cables.
You know, easy stuff to build and maintain.
Re:ITER: World's largest nuclear fusion project begins assembly
by akvadrako on Thursday July 30, 2020 @08:49AM
(#23997485)
China has built a 1100 kV line for 12 GW with losses of only 1.5% per 1000 km.
source: http://en.people.cn/n3/2018/0622/c90000-9474097.html
Re:ITER: World's largest nuclear fusion project begins assembly
by D-Coder on Wednesday July 29, 2020 @12:33AM
(#23983545)
Use the local electricity to crack water into H2 and O2. Release the O2, use the local electricity to compress the H2 into liquid hydrogen, pump in across the country. The pipes themselves are a storage facility.
Re:ITER: World's largest nuclear fusion project begins assembly
by stjohnswarts on Tuesday July 28, 2020 @09:08PM
(#23982447)
That's impossible, unless you have an invention for extremely cheap superconductors that you've been hiding away.
Re:ITER: World's largest nuclear fusion project begins assembly
by DubiousPusher on Tuesday July 28, 2020 @06:26PM
(#23981339)
I bet the power transportation cost and loss would be too significant.
Re:ITER: World's largest nuclear fusion project begins assembly
by realusername on Wednesday July 29, 2020 @03:07AM
(#23984142)
Electricity transport losses makes that impossible.