Yes storage is a problem, but not just of intermittent sources. Sydney is
coal-fired and still stores masive amounts of energy at Bendeela and in the
Snowy scheme. It's not the intermittency that's the problem, it's the fact
that it is cheaper to build storage facilities and incur their efficiency
losses, rather than build excess, unused capacity into the production side
of things. There is plenty of storage research going on, but most of it is
small scale, designed for isolated renewable generation, not grid wide. One
day we'll cover the planet in renewable energy, which will be harvesting H2
from the air for use in power plants and vehicles. Probably 50 years off yet
though. Funnily enough the points you raise form the topic of my Engineering
thesis, so hopefully I'll have an answer for everyone soon.
Evan
PS I want to see an Orange Bellied Parrot as much as the next man...
On 4/11/06, Dave Torr <> wrote:
>
> Geothermal is also promising. Wind and solar (and tidal) all have the
> problem of being intermittent and thus need storage - one way is to build
> a
> few dams and pump water uphill when there is surplus energy and release it
> via a generator when there is a shortage. ALready done in a few places,
> but
> I don't think we want to flood anywhere else now!
>
> We need to expand research not just into "alternative" energy sources but
> also ways to store energy produced at peak times from these sources and
> also
> into ways to reduce energy consumption - whether by better insulation,
> more
> efficient cars etc. There's no easy solution and I suspect that there will
> be a lot of heated debates (and dead OBPs!) before we get to the other
> end.
>
> On 4/11/06, Tim Murphy <> wrote:
> >
> > Since we have used almost exactly half the oil in the ground (the cheap
> > and
> > easy to get at half), we need to find replacements, and fast, before we
> go
> > back to the stone age.
> >
> > Wind farms and solar power are permeant renewable sources of power and
> > MUST
> > be used. The alternatives of coal and /or nuclear will both peak soon
> and
> > have massive pollution or radioactivity storage problems.
> >
> > Tim Murphy
> >
> > PS. Try Googleing "Peak Oil" if you haven't already. According to some
> > sites, we'll be lucky if we don't have to eat the OB Parrots.
> >
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--
Evan Beaver
Lapstone, Blue Mountains, NSW
lat=-33.77, lon=150.64
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