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Solar power is very cheap and still getting cheaper: https://www.statista.com/chart/35117/levelized-cost-of-energy-generation-by-source/ https://www.statista.c

by zoul 10mo ago

Solar power is very cheap and still getting cheaper: https://www.statista.com/chart/35117/levelized-cost-of-energy-generation-by-source/ https://www.statista.com/chart/35117/levelized-cost-of-energ...

chickenbig 10mo ago
Solar power doesn't work well in the UK in winter, with 1/3 of the energy output of summer months. Taking the limit of free solar power, what would the storage requirements look like for the UK?
- TheOtherHobbes 10mo ago
  The UK is aiming for around 27GW of battery storage by 2030. But it's not a simple picture. The grid needs to be expanded to distribute power from renewables more efficiently, batteries aren't the only storage option, and the concept is still too centralised. A combination of distributed rooftop solar with domestic batteries, maybe local storage in substations, strategic national storage, and a mix of sources would be a more effective strategy than trying to park huge batteries around the country in the hope they'll be big enough. The UK still has a post-war mindset around energy which doesn't make sense in the 21st century.
  - chickenbig 10mo ago
    > The UK is aiming for around 27GW of battery storage by 2030. How many GWh? Citation please.
    - lostlogin 10mo ago
      I’m not OP but: https://www.carbonbrief.org/analysis-how-the-uk-plans-to-reach-clean-power-by- https://www.carbonbrief.org/analysis-how-the-uk-plans-to-rea... It’s either 27 or 27GW they are installing sorry.
      - hdgvhicv 10mo ago
        27GW for an hour or for a week? There’s a massive difference.
        lostlogin 10mo ago
        The link doesn’t mention - that was my point. Surely it’s per hour though?
        hdgvhicv 10mo ago
        27GW means 27 billion joules per second. 27GW per hour is a rate of acceleration of energy use.
- DoctorOetker 10mo ago
  take a look at all the roofs next winter, if its anything like the other side of the canal, you'll see that the average roof coverage is substantially less than 1/3.
- crote 10mo ago
  So build three times as much? Solar has gotten cheap enough that such solutions are quite viable these days. And as a bonus, electricity will be basically free during the summer.

by zoul 10mo ago

chickenbig 10mo ago

Solar power doesn't work well in the UK in winter, with 1/3 of the energy output of summer months. Taking the limit of free solar power, what would the storage requirements look like for the UK?

TheOtherHobbes 10mo ago
The UK is aiming for around 27GW of battery storage by 2030. But it's not a simple picture. The grid needs to be expanded to distribute power from renewables more efficiently, batteries aren't the only storage option, and the concept is still too centralised. A combination of distributed rooftop solar with domestic batteries, maybe local storage in substations, strategic national storage, and a mix of sources would be a more effective strategy than trying to park huge batteries around the country in the hope they'll be big enough. The UK still has a post-war mindset around energy which doesn't make sense in the 21st century.
- chickenbig 10mo ago
  > The UK is aiming for around 27GW of battery storage by 2030. How many GWh? Citation please.
  - lostlogin 10mo ago
    I’m not OP but: https://www.carbonbrief.org/analysis-how-the-uk-plans-to-reach-clean-power-by- https://www.carbonbrief.org/analysis-how-the-uk-plans-to-rea... It’s either 27 or 27GW they are installing sorry.
    - hdgvhicv 10mo ago
      27GW for an hour or for a week? There’s a massive difference.
      - lostlogin 10mo ago
        The link doesn’t mention - that was my point. Surely it’s per hour though?
        hdgvhicv 10mo ago
        27GW means 27 billion joules per second. 27GW per hour is a rate of acceleration of energy use.
DoctorOetker 10mo ago
take a look at all the roofs next winter, if its anything like the other side of the canal, you'll see that the average roof coverage is substantially less than 1/3.
crote 10mo ago
So build three times as much? Solar has gotten cheap enough that such solutions are quite viable these days. And as a bonus, electricity will be basically free during the summer.