Posted on 01/09/2012 11:30:36 AM PST by bananaman22
2011 saw huge advances in solar, wind and other renewable energy sources, and these advancements will continue into 2012. In fact 2012 could be the year that renewable energy sources start to seriously compete with traditional fossil fuels, at least that is the hope in the battle to reduce carbon emissions and our dependence on dwindling oil stocks. However a major problem with renewable energy sources is that they can rarely provide consistent power levels, due to a myriad of factors outside of human control.
Eric Wesoff, an industry analyst with Greentech Media, explains that, “A wind farm only works when the blades are spinning. It might have a nameplate capacity of 100 megawatts, but it never puts out that much. Sometimes it’s 70; sometimes it’s nothing. To a grid operator, that kind of resource is a headache rather than an aspirin.” To overcome these fluctuations energy storage systems can be used to store excess power at peak generating times and release it when needed to provide a more constant level. “So now that 100-MW wind farm can say, ‘We’re a 40-MW, steady-state, 24/7 energy source’—more like a coal plant. That’s more valuable to society.”
The most abundant energy storage system in use around the world is the battery, but producing giant batteries for the electrical grid has always been very expensive. Lots of research has been done into small batteries for mobile phones and MP3 players, etc. and now, according to Haresh Kamath, program manager for energy-storage research at the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI). “The research applied to those industries is now being applied to batteries for the grid.” In fact the world’s largest battery array, a $500 million system capable of storing 36 megawatt-hours of electricity, has recently been completed in China by the State Grid Corporation of China (SGCC) and the electric car maker BYD. As part of China’s push toward a smart grid system for renewable energy, the battery has been hooked up to 140 megawatts of solar and wind power generation as well as a smart grid transmission system. And we can expect more of these battery facilities after the Deputy Director of China’s National Energy Administration called it the model for the future of Chinese renewable energy development. Full article at: Football Pitch-Sized Batteries Could Change the World of Renewable Energy
Ping.
That’s all well and good but how much damage will be done to them by cleats; and are they as easy to repair/replace as sod?
Grid - Gridiron
Same thing, right?
This has the sound of a business plan that only makes sense from the standpoint of a state-run neo-fascist economy fed by endless amounts of cheap labor. Like China. Otherwise, giant batteries make no more sense than giant capacitors or giant windmills.
This is interesting. It would be fun to amortize to 20 year total cost of ownership of a coal burning plant, a nuclear plant and a wind farm with these batteries. Let’s also factor in reliability and cost of power produced.
I suspect the wind farm (or solar farm) will still lose.
There is a large wind farm on I-65 north of Indianapolis. Usually when we drive through virtually all the blades are turning. We were driving down from Chicago on the 1st of January on a particularly windy day and maybe one in ten was operating. I assumed they had batteries to store the excess power until I saw that.
It never dawned on me that batteries may be prohibitively expensive. Too bad they can’t sell excess power like Washington state does to California.
I knew a storage facility in the 1970 call Crater Lake. Excess power was used to put water up to a mountain lake, then when needed though Hyrdo generators. Don't know how efficient that was. But how efficient would lake storage be in comparison to batteries? And how long would the storage last in comparison?
These are the engineering questions needed lest we have another Solyndra.
Primary Supply: 138 kV / 187 A / 59-60.5 Hz
DC link Voltage / Current: 3440-5200 V / 12000 A
Total AC Power: 46 MVA
Let see pro football stadiums are used 16 weekends (plus a few playoff cames). For the other 330 days a year should we flood them and turn them into giant batteries. Great idea....
Is the author taking about a kick-ball field size battery?
Liquid Thorium reactors..... We need them.
“Trust Me” — green energy industry
So wind power is even more expensive?
The whole idea is DOA. Battery economics will never be able to overcome the drawbacks of battery physics. That is to say, the energy produced by ‘renewable’ resources will NEVER be able to overcome the cost of building, maintaining, and eventually disposing of and replacing the battery. ALL batteries are consumable, and you have to factor that cost into the entire picture.
Batteries do wind up failing over time. Internal resistance builds up due to heat. They don’t last forever.
Great!
A giant football pitch sized battery that can go into a violent discharge state.
Wonder what that looks like?
Pumped Hydro storage is the most efficient and economic energy storage system over a long period of time with daily cycles. The efficiency of this system is typically between 70% and 85%.
http://www.electricitystorage.org/technology/storage_technologies/technology_comparison
Over 100 Criminal Probes Related to Stimulus Funding in the Department of Energy Alone
http://www.weeklystandard.com/blogs/energy-department-ig-has-launched-over-100-crinimal-probes-related-stimulus-funding_607675.html
Obama Energy Department Is Going Back and Changing Solar Energy Loan Press Releases
The Obama Administration spent nearly half of the $38.6 billion ($17.2 billion) set aside for his green energy programs and was only able to create 3,545 permanent green jobs. This comes out to a staggering $4,853,000 per job.
a battery will retail for $1000 a piece with a $995 tax credit available from Uncle Sugar.
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