
Getting to 100% renewables requires cheap energy storage. But how cheap? - spenrose
https://www.vox.com/energy-and-environment/2019/8/9/20767886/renewable-energy-storage-cost-electricity
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merpnderp
This is silly. If the power is only up 95% of the time, nearly everyone will
buy natgas/propane generators and then you’ve wasted a lot of effort going
green. And that’s 95% on top of our normal outages which aren’t from
production issues, but delivery.

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spenrose
"A US energy grid run entirely on renewable energy (at least 95 percent of the
time), leaning primarily on energy storage to provide grid flexibility, may be
more realistic, and closer to hand, than conventional wisdom has it."

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ggm
Important to remember that current technology isn't 100% reliable. turbines
fail, support systems fail, hot weather reduces effective capacity because
steam doesn't condense efficiently into warmer surroundings.

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Arnt
I haven't read the original paper... it sounds as if they're comparing 100%
renewables at 95% and 100% reliability against the current mix at current
reliability levels. Is that correct?

