The Wind Power Problem

[dre]

The issue is the number of locations where such a pairing is viable is small. This means the wind power is not going to make much of a difference to supply.

Its not small. Countries like Canada, the US, India, Russia, China, and Brasil have hydro assets scattered all over the place. Pumping water back into those basins from below the damn could signicantly increase the capacity of those facilities and mitigate growing energy needs.

But as I said there is no silver bullet, and every country and every region has different assets. I made no claim as to how big a player any of these various different technologies has the potential to be.

[dre]

I went back and re-read all the posts. You're right! I did have it wrong as to what you and not someone else had said! My apologies.

However, you did say the following:

"Thats only true if the grid has no storage capability. The more you have the more you can smooth over flucuations in availability.

None of this stuff is impossible or even technologically very hard."

Actually, most of it IS impossible or technologically hard today!

Even here in a part of Canada blessed with a lot of lake and water systems there aren't that many close by to all the population centres. I doubt if there are enough to make a significant difference to our needs anyway but even if there are, the present technology won't work to store wind power produced by Oshawa with water pumped up behind a dam in Moosonee or Kapuskasing.

For even a small town we're not talking a simple water tower here, Dre! The reservoir would have to be BIG!

And what about the prairies? Kinda flat near Winnipeg or Regina! With today's technology there's no way in hell we could power them from energy stored from those Oshawa turbines.

We need a stupendous technical breakthrough to make alternative power viable by having significant storage capability and transmission ability, along the lines of an Apollo Project!

Virtually every techie understands this as blatantly obvious. Sometimes they can get a bit testy when they hear the same idea that WON'T work from someone not technical - and it's the thousandth time they've heard someone say it.

Still, none of us know everything and to be fair, I don't think you deserved the harshness of some of the feedback.

An apology towards you is in order, I think but it's not up to me.

For even a small town we're not talking a simple water tower here, Dre! The reservoir would have to be BIG!

All of these reservoirs already exist and are close enough to population centers for transmission. This is an option in any location that has a substantial hydro electric component as part of the grid. But yes, you cant build these reservoirs... it would cost too much. You need to use natural depressions or existing hyrdo facilities.

We need a stupendous technical breakthrough to make alternative power viable by having significant storage capability and transmission ability, along the lines of an Apollo Project!

Such a breakthrough would be nice, but its not required for various different renewables to be viable in certain areas.

And what about the prairies? Kinda flat near Winnipeg or Regina! With today's technology there's no way in hell we could power them from energy stored from those Oshawa turbines.

Yeah pumped storage wont work in areas that dont have much variations in elevation, and natural depressions. Thats fine because we dont need a one size fits all solution.

Still, none of us know everything and to be fair, I don't think you deserved the harshness of some of the feedback.

I could care less about that because as I said before none of it was directed at me.... people are arguing with voices in their own head... fabricated positions. Picture me telling you: "Wild Bill, your plan to power the world with millions of hamsters on tiny little generator equipped hamster wheels is idiot, and its never going to work!". Youd be thinking "wait a second! I never said anything about any hamster wheels". Such is the case in this thread.

"Thats only true if the grid has no storage capability. The more you have the more you can smooth over flucuations in availability.

None of this stuff is impossible or even technologically very hard."

Actually, most of it IS impossible or technologically hard today!

No it isnt. A grade 8 student could build a system that does that for their school science fair for less than 50 bux. Its not impossible at all, in fact the idea of coupling intermittent renewables with hydro is already being done.

Edited May 24, 2012 by dre

[jbg]

For some reason I keep hearin Peter, Paul and Mary, and Blowin' in the Wind"

..Those were the days...my friend.

Gas was I think 35 cents/gal.

Blowin' in the Wind" is a song written by Bob Dylan in 1962

Bob Dylan wrote that song.

[bleeding heart]

Bob Dylan wrote that song.

???

[jbg]

For some reason I keep hearin Peter, Paul and Mary, and Blowin' in the Wind"

..Those were the days...my friend.

Gas was I think 35 cents/gal.

Blowin' in the Wind" is a song written by Bob Dylan in 1962

Bob Dylan wrote that song.

???

I hadn't noticed that the Peeves post correctly attributed the song to Bob Dylan rather than Peter Paul & Mary.