On the costs, I read the other day part of the renewables claim for base load was to put distributed batteries / super capacitors on the grid down streets on power poles and underground. What's the cost?
The devices proposed are expected to cost about the same as a small car delivering about 20kva, which is enough to power roughly five houses overnight assuming they aren't running air-conditioning, ovens, dryers, etc., etc.. So the plan is to have smart devices the utilities companies can switch off to "Shed load".
So let's do the sums, there are roughly 11,000,000 homes, if we assume the cost of one small car per five houses for 24x7 energy, that's $44B just for the batteries/capacitors. (I'm being generous there and assuming the small car is $20K and not average which is roughly $25k.) $44B for a energy supply that let's you have a few lights on and perhaps some internet. Hopefully you didn't buy into disconnecting the gas and switching your heating over to heat pumps, I suppose if you did then look on the bright side and know you can't win them all! I might have to invest in diesel generators! :o
But what's that I hear, Tesla power walls can service a home 24x7 and only cost $16K. So home by home, $16K x 11,000,000 is $176B, Elon might be able to afford to father a few more children! Let's not get into what Tesla thinks is your energy requirement for baseload, or that small car cost per five houses sails over the horizon!
Now there are certainly energy storage devices that can service more homes, but the device cost is basically a function of energy capacity, as you increase the capacity to service more homes using less devices the cost per device increases. Even if you do this with less devices, that comes at a social cost, because now you have more people that have 24x7 power dependant on other homes in the street doing the right thing.
I may have to turn off my grow lights, or smoke all that weed before it gets mouldy! ;D
The devices proposed are expected to cost about the same as a small car delivering about 20kva, which is enough to power roughly five houses overnight assuming they aren't running air-conditioning, ovens, dryers, etc., etc.. So the plan is to have smart devices the utilities companies can switch off to "Shed load".
So let's do the sums, there are roughly 11,000,000 homes, if we assume the cost of one small car per five houses for 24x7 energy, that's $44B just for the batteries/capacitors. (I'm being generous there and assuming the small car is $20K and not average which is roughly $25k.) $44B for a energy supply that let's you have a few lights on and perhaps some internet. Hopefully you didn't buy into disconnecting the gas and switching your heating over to heat pumps, I suppose if you did then look on the bright side and know you can't win them all! I might have to invest in diesel generators! :o
But what's that I hear, Tesla power walls can service a home 24x7 and only cost $16K. So home by home, $16K x 11,000,000 is $176B, Elon might be able to afford to father a few more children! Let's not get into what Tesla thinks is your energy requirement for baseload, or that small car cost per five houses sails over the horizon!
Now there are certainly energy storage devices that can service more homes, but the device cost is basically a function of energy capacity, as you increase the capacity to service more homes using less devices the cost per device increases. Even if you do this with less devices, that comes at a social cost, because now you have more people that have 24x7 power dependant on other homes in the street doing the right thing.
I may have to turn off my grow lights, or smoke all that weed before it gets mouldy! ;D
"Ruck, ruck, ruck, ruck ....... Ruck, ruck, ruck, ruck"