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Advice to Pres. Obama: go for wind power | 90 comments (90 topical, editorial, 0 hidden)
Re: Capacity constraints (none / 1)
Upgrading the national grid to a "smart grid" standard connecting high wind power producing areas with high demand areas may be the most complex and lengthy process of all

notes from no w here
by Frank Schnittger (mail Frankschnittger at hot male dotty communists) on Thu Jan 22nd, 2009 at 10:10:12 AM EST
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Re: Capacity constraints (4.00 / 2)
And delightfully expensive and labour intensive.
by Colman (colman at eurotrib.com) on Thu Jan 22nd, 2009 at 10:30:03 AM EST
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Re: Capacity constraints (none / 1)
Do some dumb grid work too.  Instead of building roads, dig and expand reservoirs.  You're going to need them for power storage eventually, and will supply a shitpile of low-tech jobs.
by tjbuff (timhess@adelphia.net) on Thu Jan 22nd, 2009 at 10:42:06 AM EST
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Re: Capacity constraints (none / 0)
tjbuff:
dig and expand reservoirs.  You're going to need them for power storage eventually,

and irrigation, and recreation!

it's nuts that a rainy country like england has water shortages!

'The history of public debt is full of irony. It rarely follows our ideas of order and justice.' Thomas Piketty

by melo (melometa4(at)gmail.com) on Fri Jan 23rd, 2009 at 06:41:11 AM EST
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Re: Capacity constraints (none / 1)
Well, I doodled about reactivating

Grand Contour Canal

which could shift water around, allow bulk freight to move around cheaply, serve as a linear park, serve as pumped storage, and probably be self-financing if we captured some of the development gains in respect of all the land within (say) 400 metres of it.

Interesting thing here in Teheran is that the filtering software the censors here use won't let me look at the link to the Grand Contour canal reference....

"The future is already here -- it's just not very evenly distributed" William Gibson

by ChrisCook (cojockathotmaildotcom) on Sat Jan 24th, 2009 at 01:55:11 PM EST
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Smart grid and national grid are complementary ... (4.00 / 2)
... but distinct. The national grid requires long haul transmission, but its grid to grid, and working with big enough volumes that it can be done with smart operators of a dumb grid.

The focus of the SmartGrid is the local grids, ensuring that those consumers that are willing to tailor consumption to supply are ready and able to do so.


I've been accused of being a Marxist, yet while Harpo's my favourite, it's Groucho I'm always quoting. Odd, that.

by BruceMcF (agila61 at netscape dot net) on Thu Jan 22nd, 2009 at 01:24:48 PM EST
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Advice to Pres. Obama: go for wind power | 90 comments (90 topical, 0 editorial, 0 hidden)
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