Re:Wind and solar are cheaper than thought, admits UK govern...
by Loughla on Thursday August 27, 2020 @03:24PM
(#24297593)
>Geothermal, on the other hand, gives you a stable energy source, until it doesn't.
Can you point me toward any studies about geothermal 'running out'? Is that a thing?
Re:Wind and solar are cheaper than thought, admits UK govern...
by frenchyatwork on Thursday August 27, 2020 @03:45PM
(#24297801)
Not studies, but the geothermal active areas I've been to have stories of geysers/springs either coming out of nowhere, or disappearing. It's very rare, and mostly happens during earthquakes. I would imagine the same would apply to power generation.
Also, the grid doesn't use power evenly, but nuclear power (like geothermal) produces very even output so the US & Canada have agreements where Canada supplies excess hydro power during the day and then buys back cheap nuclear power at night.
Of course, wind & solar are very intermittent, an many places don't have easy access to hydroelectric power, so this is certainly true in some places.