What Just Happened in Solar Is a Bigger Deal Than Oil Exports

[Valmy]

Eh, doesn't Mono have access to Timmy News Service? 

True

[Tonitrus]

Yeah, I think the real breakthrough for solar will come when we finally, if ever, develop a very efficient means of being able to store energy in a somewhat dormant state (which really, is why fossil fuels have served us so well) for long periods of time.

What we really need are energon cubes.

On the domestic level, the Tesla Powerwall has problems but it's a step in the right direction.

It is...but I was thinking on a more on the macro-level...facilities that could store solar-generated power at levels to supply entire metropolitan regions during hours of darkness when the panels aren't generating anything.

[MadImmortalMan]

I kinda doubt there will ever be a utility-scale battery. Power storage seems to make more sense at the point of use.

[Admiral Yi]

I kinda doubt there will ever be a utility-scale battery. Power storage seems to make more sense at the point of use.

Disagree.  You lose economies of scale.  Plus a utility (or dedicated power trader) will have a better understanding of the wholesale market than an end user.

[Iormlund]

The only remotely feasible way of power storage is having consumers' cars act as a ginourmous distributed battery. However, the technical requirements for such batteries are still unmet (cost, weight and especially cycle life).

[MadImmortalMan]

I kinda doubt there will ever be a utility-scale battery. Power storage seems to make more sense at the point of use.

Disagree.  You lose economies of scale.  Plus a utility (or dedicated power trader) will have a better understanding of the wholesale market than an end user.

Sure, but power stored by the end user is power that got purchased. It will deteriorate when stored and from adding a second transmission cycle and the utility won't want to eat that cost.

[Admiral Yi]

Sure, but power stored by the end user is power that got purchased. It will deteriorate when stored and from adding a second transmission cycle and the utility won't want to eat that cost.

I don't understand your reasoning.

[mongers]

[Keynesian]

I have a solution, we employ people to build artificial mountains, then some more workers to build pump storage facilities in them. 

[/Keynesian]

[Tonitrus]

Like I said...we need to develop energon cubes. 

[Monoriu]

The technology doesn't exist for now.

For somebody who gets all his industry news from Wikipedia you sure claim expert knowledge on how these things work.

I claim no expert knowledge.  I simply express scepticism from a user's point of view