Quote:
Originally Posted by redpoint5
The bird burning issue will decrease as the number of birds in the area are reduced...
It seems more economical to build out a power distribution system that allows over-generation to be utilized in other regions rather than build enormous battery systems, or at least to reduce the amount of needed storage.
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As it stands, the Ivanpah Heliostat farm is along the transmission link that ties the Hydro power of the Boulder Dam and several other power sources to the Southern California Region. But this generated power doesn't necessarily flow the 300+ miles to the downtown Los Angeles Basin. A cascade of power plants along the route add to the flow. I am just east of a new multi turbine natural gas electrical generation station and our area is fed by only a fraction of the plant's total output. The majority gets sent to counties west of us and we benefit from power flowing from the desert solar stations, wind farms and geothermal plants as well as a few old coal plants. The power generated west of us keeps flowing west into the energy sinkhole that is Los Angeles. We have discussed transmission line losses in various threads and at some point local generation becomes more economical. Oil Pan 4's outline of a grid tied Photo-voltaic array, along with conservation efforts will not be as effective in high density urban areas, but with sufficient storage along the power transmission corridor renewable energy sources can support a large metropolis with only a small need from standby traditional power generation. Power storage, whether diffused through out a region, or in large concentrated nodes will be needed.