The power (electricity) thread!

[Skatastrophy]

So much for your rugged mountain man image.

Rocky pic, along with article

https://boingboing.net/2021/08/13/real-hermit-descends-from-remote-mountain-cave-for-covid-19-vaccine.html

[MU82]

These batteries could harness the wind and sun to replace coal and gas

https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-solutions/interactive/2024/flow-batteries-renewable-energy-storage/?

SAPPORO, Japan — Ocean winds whip across the beaches, hillsides and sprawling plains of Hokkaido. There's enough wind energy here for Japan's northernmost island to power itself and export clean electricity to the rest of the country.

But Hokkaido can't harness all of that power unless it has a way to store energy when breezes are blowing and use it later when the gusts die down.

So, the island is turning to a new generation of batteries designed to stockpile massive amounts of energy — a critical step toward replacing power plants fueled by coal, gas and oil, which create a third of global greenhouse gas emissions.

Hokkaido is facing a problem that is starting to confront power grids around the world. For the past 150 years, utilities have stored energy in piles of coal or tanks of gas that can be burned on demand. But as countries switch from fossil fuels to clean energy, they need a new kind of backup system that can deliver power whenever someone flips a light switch, not just when the sun shines or the wind blows.

"Most utilities are definitely recognizing that if they're adding renewables, they have to add storage," said Vanessa Witte, a senior analyst at the energy data and analytics firm Wood Mackenzie.

After decades of development, the world has figured out how to make wind turbines and solar panels cheaply and at massive scale. They're starting to make a dent in energy production, accounting for 15 percent of electricity globally, according to the International Energy Agency. But now, a few of the regions that have adopted wind and solar most aggressively are finding some of that energy goes to waste because they can't store it.

[rocky_warrior]

Non-paywall version... (And since MU82's post doesn't mention it, they are "flow batteries")

https://www.yahoo.com/news/batteries-could-harness-wind-sun-172548718.html

[Scoop Snoop]

The article that MU posted focused on storing power. Before our electric co op set up their current program of being able to restore power quickly, we often relied upon our generator for quite a while until the lines were back up. The generator was a perfect example of wasted power. Whether or not we used all that it generated (we didn't), the cost was there, and compared to our co op's rate, it was very expensive electricity.

[rocky_warrior]

Yeah, battery storage HAS to be part of the utility plan - not to mention it's cheap relatively.

I've finally got my solar and powerwall system running, and except for some parasitic losses from the powerwall, it's efficient at just being ready should power go out.  I've only had a quick 5 min outage since it was installed, but it switched over and back seamlessly.  Mine is setup as a whole house backup though, so I do need to be careful about loads when power is out.  The 11.5kW inverter will handle my whole house, but with only 13.5kWh of battery power, it *could* drain quickly.

Another nice feature (when your not relying on it for backup), is that it allows for time-shifting power user.  i.e. - it will charge during the day, and you can set it to discharge in the evening instead of using power from the grid at peak prices.

[rocky_warrior]

More flow battery News, this time installations in the US

https://cleantechnica.com/2024/12/04/a-flow-battery-stealth-attack-is-coming-for-your-fossil-fuels/

[Shaka Shart]

☹️

https://heatmap.news/plus/the-fight/spotlight/renewable-energy-ban-oklahoma

[Uncle Rico]

☹️

https://heatmap.news/plus/the-fight/spotlight/renewable-energy-ban-oklahoma

What an incredibly stupid country we live in.

[rocky_warrior]

The TPPO batery?  Maybe.

https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/scientists-turn-industrial-waste-into-batteries-for-storing-renewable-energy/

[Jockey]

What an incredibly stupid country we live in.

And since politics is banned, we can't even discuss why the push for the ban has started.

[Strokin 3s]

Was certainly good for CEG's stock price 

Bump

[Shaka Shart]

☹️

https://heatmap.news/plus/the-fight/spotlight/renewable-energy-ban-oklahoma

☹️

https://heatmap.news/plus/the-fight/spotlight/offshore-wind-executive-order-trump

Get ready to speak rolling blackouts, East coast. With the energy demand growing the way it is I don't really foresee where they make up the gaps here in generation (non political, I do not endorse the title name drop)

[Shaka Shart]

The TPPO batery?  Maybe.

https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/scientists-turn-industrial-waste-into-batteries-for-storing-renewable-energy/

So many maybes right now. Talk to me in 5 years I guess

[forgetful]

Whoa!

https://www.chron.com/news/article/texas-ercot-power-grid-energy-19814295.php

Circling back to this.

I wonder if all of this is in relation to the Stargate plans to build AI-based data centers. One that already was planned and underway in West Texas, and with others likely to be located there.

Great locations as there is lots of land, but problematic because of a very unreliable TX energy grid, and poor access to water resources.

This could help solve the energy problem, and there are proposals in place to divert water from Houston to West Texas (long-standing proposals).

Interesting confluence of events which I'm sure are related and planned for years.

[Shaka Shart]

Circling back to this.

I wonder if all of this is in relation to the Stargate plans to build AI-based data centers. One that already was planned and underway in West Texas, and with others likely to be located there.

Great locations as there is lots of land, but problematic because of a very unreliable TX energy grid, and poor access to water resources.

This could help solve the energy problem, and there are proposals in place to divert water from Houston to West Texas (long-standing proposals).

Interesting confluence of events which I'm sure are related and planned for years.

It's weird because my doom posting about wind (and I think rightfully doomy!) absolutely does not track with the AI and tech energy demand expansion plans. You kinda have no choice but to have it if you want to scale up as fast as they do.

Another solution is that they're making it up as they go and Generative AI doesn't have a profitable use case yet (or maybe ever) and this ends up being a historically expensive fart in the wind

[Shaka Shart]

It's weird because my doom posting about wind (and I think rightfully doomy!) absolutely does not track with the AI and tech energy demand expansion plans. You kinda have no choice but to have it if you want to scale up as fast as they do.

Another solution is that they're making it up as they go and Generative AI doesn't have a profitable use case yet (or maybe ever) and this ends up being a historically expensive fart in the wind

Related https://www.ft.com/content/747a7b11-dcba-4aa5-8d25-403f56216d7e

[forgetful]

Related https://www.ft.com/content/747a7b11-dcba-4aa5-8d25-403f56216d7e

I saw this. Very intriguing. And fully agree with your prior post.

I think it couples to the MIT "The Limits to Growth" study that predicted collapse in 2040, and why technological innovation was insufficient to avert the collapse curve. Namely, technological innovations, although in theory providing avenues to mitigate collapse, also tend to spur accelerated use of resources, thereby bringing society back to the collapse curve.

[Shaka Shart]

Whoa

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-03-17/byd-unveils-battery-system-that-charges-an-ev-in-five-minutes?utm_source=bluesky&utm_medium=social&utm_content=business

[mu_hilltopper]

Non-paywall link:  https://archive.is/Vle93

[muwarrior69]

So you have to go with their system. How many outlets in your home will you need if you keep switching makes of EVs as the next guy claims he can charge 350 mile in under 5 minutes. At the very least universal charging across makes will be necessary in the future if EVs are to become predominant.

[rocky_warrior]

So you have to go with their system. How many outlets in your home will you need if you keep switching makes of EVs as the next guy claims he can charge 350 mile in under 5 minutes. At the very least universal charging across makes will be necessary in the future if EVs are to become predominant.

Home EV charging is getting pretty universal, and I think there's only really 3 (?) options now, each plug costs a few hundred.  5 minute charging won't happen at home, that will be in place of what you call "gas stations" now.  Home charging is generally overnight (and much cheaper than going to a charging station).