this post was submitted on 17 Nov 2024
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Interesting how it's phrased as a bad thing. Article was probably sponsored by Big Coal.
Unfortunately it is a problem that needs solving. Electricity needs to be used as it is produced and if its not, it will be a problem. Where i live, the de facto solution today is to heat the oceans. That's not a viable long term solution and why we urgently need to find a way to store energy!
While that is true for power plants with spinning turbines, it isn't true for solar power. There is no issue at all when you don't consume all the energy that a solar panel could produce.
Please expand! Why is this not an issue with solar?
There's solutions that are kinda okay. For example, hot climates molten salt battery farms are becoming viable, and a big one is now in Australia. We need more battery farms, preferably not made it of lithium or other heavy metals that overheat and blow up. Molten salt batteries don't explode and last a long time, but need to be several hundred degrees to work and are insulated to keep heat in. If they fail they just cool down. If the place shuts down and cools off then they just need to heat them back up and are back in business.
Part of the solution to that is to use waste heat. If they incorporated them into existing power plants, factories, data centers, etc. then that waste heat is put to good use.
Interesting! Is the idea to use excess electricity to heat the sand and then reproduce power via Steam turbine? Any idea how the heat is extracted ?
I've heard of a similar plant, but that used mirrors to heat up the sand directly, rather than using it as a way to use excess electricity.
Same idea, different material is thermal storage in sand.
New V2G will help, take it up through the day,. some discharge at night.
And this could be actioned
https://thefifthestate.com.au/the-conversation/if-our-hot-water-heaters-ran-off-daytime-solar-we-would-slash-emissions-and-soak-up-cheap-energy/
Whole of Australia is sponsored by coal
To be fair, WA by "natural" gas... /s