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Re:Solar and Wind to Top Coal Power in US for First Time in ... by sandworm101 on Saturday December 16, 2023 @08:39PM (#38669601)
Smartgrid has been in the works for decades. I saw it the subject of debate at conferences in 2004. There are fundimental issues, cultural issues. All those batteries in EVs are not an option. People with EVs simply do not want to discharge them back onto the grid. Firstly, they want to have their car fully charged if they need it unexpectedly. Secondly, they will not accept the diminished battery life associated with extra chrage/discharge cycles.

If we need distributed batteries, dont look to the lightweight and highly specialized batteries of EVs. Oldschool lead acid batteries are far cheaper, last longer, and are easily recycled. That is the way to build out a distributed battery grid.

Re:Solar and Wind to Top Coal Power in US for First Time in ... by sokoloff on Saturday December 16, 2023 @10:16PM (#38670030)
> Secondly, they will not accept the diminished battery life associated with extra [charge]/discharge cycles.

For the correct price, a great many would. Once the batteries are too degraded for mobility use, they’re still often usable for fixed storage.

Re:Solar and Wind to Top Coal Power in US for First Time in ... by IdiranVibe on Saturday December 16, 2023 @08:56PM (#38669687)
Surely existing methods of energy storage methods e.g. pumping water to higher altitude reservoirs to be used for hydro at peak hours will be more useful than millions of lead acid batteries
Re:Solar and Wind to Top Coal Power in US for First Time in ... by sandworm101 on Saturday December 16, 2023 @09:38PM (#38669869)
Pumped hydro cannot be done locally. Not everyone lives on a hillside and owns a lake. For something to be distributed, placed close to end users, it has to fit in a typical garage or basement.
Re:Solar and Wind to Top Coal Power in US for First Time in ... by nradov on Sunday December 17, 2023 @06:29AM (#38672138)
Much of the country is too flat for pumped hydroelectric storage to be practical. How could that work in a place like Miami or Chicago?