The utopian ambition for variable renewable energy is to convert it into uniform firm capacity using energy storage. Here we present an analysis of actual UK wind and solar generation for the whole of 2016 at 30 minute resolution and calculate the grid-scale storage requirement. In order to deliver 4.6 GW uniform and firm RE supply throughout the year, from 26 GW of installed capacity, requires 1.8 TWh of storage. We show that this is both thermodynamically and economically implausible to implement with current technology.
easiest way??
solar/wind to pump water back into dams,
for regeneration..
While it is wonderful to imagine storing enough energy to keep the lights on when the sun don’t shine and the wind don’t blow the real question is simply this: Is there enough energy being generated to store. If the average amount of energy being generated is below the average demand for energy it really doesn’t matter how much you store since you will be in a deficit position.
Nonsense. They can run the grid off an iPhone.
Wild guess, Joe – you don’t work for a government. (Way too much common sense.)
Some how, pumping (sea-water) into the mountain areas for reuse again sounds nuts to me.
Even if it was lined to prevent sea water and ground touching each other, if a leak happened. I can only wonder how much damage that would happen.
Plus if this is to be green. The amount of fuels and other materials required to build this would blow the whole green idea off the charts.
The politics of energy has become like a giant science fair project at the elementary school level where the teachers have dictated that the eco-theological sanctity of unreliable wind and solar must be incorporated into every project. It’s insanity!
Tesla gotta battery for that! Just sayin, don’t make it so.
I was a science fair judge nearly 40 years ago. Unfortunately, that’s how many of the displays were like back then. They reflected the science theme-du-jour which, I suspect, was dictated by the school system.
Imagination or, for that matter, originality didn’t appear to be encouraged.
never mind, some one is inventing a new fangled capacitor, or something!!!
That summary is priceless.
https://instituteforenergyresearch.org/analysis/big-winds-dirty-little-secret-rare-earth-minerals/
Another case & point for the enviro bioturds
Anyone else notice when the weather turns very cold,
20 below freaking zero, especially in the winter;
They never say its Climate Change or Global Warming Climate Change,
Its always a “Polar Vortex?”
Are too many Polar Bears breathing out carbon dioxide causing this “Polar Vortex?”
Maybe we should encourage people to have more Polar Bear living room rugs?
Did you not read the article? To build enough pumped hydro storage is “an impossible dream”.