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A comment on Germany Power Prices Turn Deeply Negative on Renewables Surge. Parent comment

Re:Germany Power Prices Turn Deeply Negative on Renewables S... by api on Tuesday April 07, 2026 @07:33AM (#47673578)
Where’s profitable crypto mining when you need it?

Back yard plasma furnace? Artificial diamond making? Aluminum smelting?

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Re:Germany Power Prices Turn Deeply Negative on Renewables S... by HPsquared on Tuesday April 07, 2026 @07:48AM (#47673732)
Even just a large water tank which you can choose when to add heat.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seasonal_thermal_energy_storag...

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Re:Germany Power Prices Turn Deeply Negative on Renewables S... by rcxdude on Tuesday April 07, 2026 @08:26AM (#47674211)
You need something that's valuable, energy intensive, easy to stop and start, and cheap to build capacity for. Either or both of those last two tend to be the problem for most industrial processes (and also crypto mining).
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Re:Germany Power Prices Turn Deeply Negative on Renewables S... by leonidasrup on Tuesday April 07, 2026 @08:54AM (#47674569)
There are may different energy storage systems.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Energy_storage

There have wildly different prices for unit of stored energy and wildly different storage times.

https://css.umich.edu/publications/factsheets/energy/us-grid...

It's not cost effective run aluminum smelting only during peak electricity production.

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