Lake Hodges Pumped Storage Power Generation Goes Online

[AndyH]

*sigh* Yes Andy I understand that your battery back will keep you powered during a black out. But guess what, not everyone can afford one of those, and as far as the power grid goes wind can not restore a system from a black out.....

Not arguing Matt. Simply trying to provide an alternate way to look at the problem. Can we use 'Kobayashi Maru' as a verb? :lol:

Batteries are the most expensive single component in an off grid system - true - in both real green American dollars and as a percentage. But overall 'expensive' is relative and might not be a real problem.

I wouldn't even try to go off-grid in a 2-story 2000 square foot standard building in Tucson because conventional buildings fight the planet, they don't work with her. Building codes apparently require houses have a year-round temperature of 73 some distance off the floor. A conventional building cannot do that without grid connections - and the building stops working when the grids go down. Buildings designed to work with the planet are much less energy intensive to maintain and some cost the same cash per square foot as a conventional building.

I paid $2426 last year for utilities - $24264 over the past 10 years - and rates continue to increase (in my present building). Because of efficiency and passive solar design, my total systems price with batteries (in the new building) will be the same as five years worth of utility bills (in the old) - and will provide power for at least 10 years (batteries) or longer. Changing the problem can bring all the systems prices into a range that becomes very affordable

and as far as the power grid goes wind can not restore a system from a black out.....

Who is suggesting that it should? And yet...with a 'Reinventing Fire' mix of centralized and decentralized power on a modern grid, blackouts will likely be very different animals (if they happen at all). I don't see wind 'needing' to restore a system from a black-out. But that's me. :?

Absolutely bring in storage - including V2G for EVs and PHEVs. But when efficiency can cut our need for energy about 40%, and modernizing the grid can allow better balancing and distribution of what we have, the picture changes a bit. And that's a good thing!

 

[etrans]

I've been advocating this idea for use in the PNW for some time. The Columbia River has a series of existing hydroelectric dams and the river flows thru the best solar and wind territory in WA State (cheap land, too). Just use these intermittant sources to pump tail water back into the reservoirs and its a done deal. No one has explained why we aren't doing this already.