World Wide Electricity Super-grid | 44 comments (44 topical, editorial, 0 hidden)

Re: World Wide Electricity Super-grid (4.00 / 2)

There is a pumped storage station just down the road from me which has been operational since 1973. It has an efficiency of c. 75%. More are planned, but have been slow to get off the ground...

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by Frank Schnittger (mail Frankschnittger at hot male dotty communists) on Tue Jan 25th, 2022 at 12:26:19 PM EST
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Re: World Wide Electricity Super-grid (4.00 / 3)

A pumped storage installation is under consideration in Colorado. The cost estimate is interesting:

Pumped-storage hydro projects cost about $2,000 per kilowatt to build, according to the National Hydropower Association. (That compares to about $1,800 per kilowatt for utility-scale solar and $1,400 per kilowatt for onshore wind turbines.)

Of course it is difficult to make a direct comparison between a source like wind or solar and a storage system, but the need for storage is also pretty clear.

by asdf on Tue Jan 25th, 2022 at 04:05:18 PM EST
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Re: World Wide Electricity Super-grid (none / 1)

But the pumped hydro should work for a century instead of 30 years.

"It is not necessary to have hope in order to persevere."

by ARGeezer (ARGeezer a in a circle eurotrib daught com) on Thu Jan 27th, 2022 at 09:35:58 PM EST
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World Wide Electricity Super-grid | 44 comments (44 topical, 0 editorial, 0 hidden)