Quote:
Originally Posted by aerohead
The use of this word 'can' implies some physical limitation on the part of renewable energy to ever exceed some arbitrary 30% boundary, which is 'scientifically' absurd.
'Loads' are agnostic. It doesn't matter the source.
Btus are Btus.
KWs are kWs.
It matters not where they originate.
Peaking plants are already being superannuated by grid-scale battery technology.
If the American Coal Producers Association, API, and American Gas Institute can come up with 100% carbon sequestration, halt methane leaks at the source, plus remove 150-years worth of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, then they can 'dig baby dig', and 'drill baby drill' until the cows come home. Otherwise, it's got to go, and as quickly as possible.
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It makes the power grid unstable.
In California they created the goose neck load profile when they have too much solar come on line. The max amount for solar is around 5%, California proved more than 10% is definitely too much.
More than 20% power coming from wind makes the power grid unstable because when the wind stops gas plants have to take over. And it takes hours to get gas plants up and running at full power. The northern half of new Mexico can go from running nearly 2Gw of wind to 0 in about 5 to 6 hours, 5hrs is the fastest wind shutdown I have observed, it could happen even faster and I just haven't seen it.
Sure 70% of power could come from wind, then there would have to be more even faster acting, always ready power plants to pickup the slack when wind cuts out. That means lots of thermal plants just hanging out, idling, burning fuel, paying employees to not make any power.
In theory you could have any amount of wind power if you had hydro electric power to back up the wind when it cuts out. But that's not practical anywhere. Places with lots of hydro electric tend to have mountains and elevation changes, wind likes flat open areas.
Diesel driven piston engines come on line real fast...
There's effectively 0 grid battery power in the US.
The best thing to replace coal and most of the gas with is nuclear.