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Politics : View from the Center and Left -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Bearcatbob who wrote (62184)	4/28/2008 12:36:07 PM
From: Dale Baker	Respond to of 541922

Couldn't you map sunlight patterns and create a grid of solar stations such that your odds of being down are never more than 15-20% of the total system? And you could still be tied to peakers running NG for emergency backup. Just thinking out loud. But the numbers of days of sun per year is a well-measured statistic all over the country.

To: Bearcatbob who wrote (62184)	4/28/2008 1:01:28 PM
From: Cogito	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 541922

>>Someone needs to consider the investment needed in backup capacity for solar plants for the time when the sun does not shine. The plants are going to have to sit idle - or - we will have to tolerate periods of power allocation.<< Bob - Incorrect. Solar thermal plants can store the thermal energy (some use molten salt for this purpose), and continue to generate power after the sun goes down. Such plants provide power on a curve that closely approximates the demand curve. The most power is generated during the hot afternoon when air conditioning is required, then it gradually slows down during the evening, reaching its lowest point in the early morning. As the sun rises, and people start flipping their power switches back on, power output increases. - Allen