• blazera@kbin.social
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    1 year ago

    Alright its later today so heres how renewable energy as a baseline supply works. We actually already have a working example of it, hydro electric. Renewable energy thats used as baseline. When you think energy storage i think most people think of batteries, but theyre mostly suited for mobile energy storage, like cars and handheld devices. For utility power we have much more scalable, and simpler energy storage. For hydroelectric, they take excess electricity generated, and power pumps to pump the water back uphill, to use for later demand. Its physical energy storage. You can power a motor to lift a weight and pulley system with excess energy, then run it in reverse as a generator for demand. This is basic engineering, and its as scalable as you need it.

    • XIIIesq@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      I understand pumped storage well. The problem with it is the required size of the reservoirs and the availability of suitable locations.

      Pumped storage as it stands in the UK is really very useful for managing dips and spikes in power demand but unfortunately far, far short of being able to get us through a day or two of no wind.

      • blazera@kbin.social
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        1 year ago

        Right, pumped storage hydro electric was an example of renewable electricity being baseline load. I gave a different suggestion for wind and solar storage if you dont have a good location for pumped storage.

        • XIIIesq@lemmy.world
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          1 year ago

          I honestly think the weight lifting and dropping idea is pipe dream stuff. It’s good on a black board but near impossible to implement practically in real life.

          Can you imagine how much stored weight we’d need to cover the energy demands of a nation given a few days of no wind?

          You need to ask yourself why, if these ideas are so great, have they not already been implemented.

          • blazera@kbin.social
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            1 year ago

            Oh god lifting and dropping a weight near impossible to implement? You cant mean that, you cant be that simple minded that you cant imagine an electric motor winding a chain hooked up to a pulley lifting a stone block. What part of this process is unfathomable for you?

            It is already implemented, i gave you an example of it being implemented, its an everyday fact of life that we use electricity to lift enough weight uphill to cover times of demand surpassing immediate supply for massive regions.

            • XIIIesq@lemmy.world
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              1 year ago

              If we’re going to talk to eachother like we’re cunts;

              I wish I could return to a time where I was so naive, the world was a magical place!

              I’ll ask again since you avoided the question. Do you have any idea how much lifted weight would be required to power a nation through a few days of no wind?!

              Hint: A metric shit tonne would not even be a scratch on the required amount. Where are you going to source that sort of weight, leave alone infrastructure required to repeatedly lift and lower it?

              I’ll tell you once again, I’m well aware of hydro pumped storage, its abilities and its short comings. I work as an electrician on a hydro scheme, FFS, you dumb twat.

              A weight you could lift and drop to power your own house alone through a few days of no power in itself would be an extremely impressive system and you want to power every house in the nation and all its industry with that concept? It’s time to get a grip on reality and share what ever drug you’re on with me because its obviously some really good shit.

              • blazera@kbin.social
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                1 year ago

                I will reiterate, that it is an amount of weight lifted that we already achieve, everyday to power entire utility areas. And Im tired of these strawmen. You know what would be an even more impressive feat? Building a nuclear plant to power your own house alone. Building one power plant to power the entire nation, from any source. We’re not building to power one home, we’re not building to power the entire nation at once.