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Post by David B. Benson on May 31, 2020 20:53:53 GMT 9.5
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Post by Roger Clifton on Jun 1, 2020 14:23:45 GMT 9.5
Coal fails to backup solar The West Australian grid of about 2 GW average is isolated from the rest of Australia. About 500 MW is generated by black coal, 1 GW by gas, and a whopping 1 GW (amplitude) of rooftop solar hardwired into the grid. (see live generation)In the (southern) winter of May June July and August, W.A. is swept by cold fronts that are separated by short periods (couple of hours) of clear sun. Consequently noise due to the renewable component has an amplitude of about 1 GW. The coal-fired steam plant cannot vary anything like that fast. Most of the variation is levelled by open cycle gas generators. However much of the gas generation is based on steam, so is as inflexible as coal. With commercial pressure to convert the open cycle to the more gas-efficient gas turbines, the grid operator is asking instead that future solar panels be controlled remotely – by the grid operator. That is, renewable energy that exceeds a fraction of the fossil generation will be dumped rather than accommodated. Solar is not a pathway to zero emissions. www.abc.net.au/news/2019-12-01/rise-of-rooftop-solar-power-jeopardising-wa-energy-grid/11731452(ABC is the national broadcaster)
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Post by David B. Benson on Jun 1, 2020 15:17:30 GMT 9.5
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Post by David B. Benson on Jun 1, 2020 15:45:27 GMT 9.5
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Post by David B. Benson on Jun 1, 2020 16:03:25 GMT 9.5
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Post by engineerpoet on Jun 1, 2020 16:06:06 GMT 9.5
That is, renewable energy that exceeds a fraction of the fossil generation will be dumped rather than accommodated. Solar is not a pathway to zero emissions.The obvious (to the perspicacious) is now manifest.
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Post by David B. Benson on Jun 1, 2020 16:24:20 GMT 9.5
The isolated, antiquated grid of Western Australia is certainly not a lesson for the majority of the world. What is obvious is that solar power is rapidly replacing natural gas for the daytime portion of the generation in sunny climates. See the several recent posts on this thread.
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Post by David B. Benson on Jun 1, 2020 16:36:35 GMT 9.5
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Post by thinkstoomuch on Jun 1, 2020 18:05:40 GMT 9.5
No, what is measured is nameplate capacity, not energy. Still, this is surprising in that ERCOT based reports do not mention solar power in ERCOT Texas. I suppose that for Texas as a whole solar power is still a tiny fraction.
Looked it up on the US EIA site: Last year for Texas solar was 1.1% of total generation. Wind was 17.5%. Nuclear was 8.6%.
Annual: www.eia.gov/electricity/data/browser/#/topic/0?agg=2,0,1&fuel=vtvv&geo=0000000002&sec=g&linechart=ELEC.GEN.ALL-TX-99.A~ELEC.GEN.WND-TX-99.A~ELEC.GEN.NUC-TX-99.A~ELEC.GEN.TSN-TX-99.A&columnchart=ELEC.GEN.ALL-TX-99.A&map=ELEC.GEN.ALL-TX-99.A&freq=A&ctype=linechart<ype=pin&rtype=s&maptype=0&rse=0&pin=
Little squiggle at the bottom is solar.
Texas capacities as of March 2020.
Natural Gas Fired Combined Cycle 41,042.8 MW
Natural Gas Fired Combustion Turbine 9,976.9 MW Other Natural Gas 18,062.2 MW
Total Fossil Fuels 88,493.6 MW Nuclear 4,960.0 MW
Wind 28,668.8 MW
Solar 2,687.9 MW
While Solar is expanding in Texas not going to be much for a few more years.
T2M
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Post by Roger Clifton on Jun 2, 2020 15:45:04 GMT 9.5
that future solar panels be controlled remotely – by the grid operator. That is, renewable energy that exceeds a [certain] fraction of the fossil generation will be dumped rather than accommodated. Solar is not a pathway to zero emissions. Extensive gas fields occur in the north of West Australia, from where a 1600 km pipeline carrying 10 GW(t) was built 30 years ago to the ~2.5 million people in the far south-west corner of the state. Since then the pipeline supplies modern gas-fired power stations of capacity 4.3 GW(e), most of which power the electric grid in the south-west. Of them about 3 GW are open cycle gas turbines. Gas already dominates electricity generation in WA (see graphic), and with the closing of the last of the coal-fired stations, gas will soon supply all of the contracted and backup power. The expansion of obligate solar to a peak of 1 GW has committed the open cycle gas turbines in the south-west to a backup role, so now forms an obstruction to the conversion to the more efficient combined cycle turbines, which respond too slowly to back up the obligate solar. The obstruction is being removed by requiring all new and replacement (every ~10 year) inverters on the solar panels to be remotely controlled by the grid operator. Solar electricity will then only be switched on as much as the gas generators choose to provide enough reserves to level it. Because the West Australian grid is isolated from neighbouring states, all of the noise from renewables' intermittency must be accommodated within the state grid. In that sense it models the future of all of the world's giant grids. Everywhere gas is expanding at the expense of coal, and as we see here, it will then expand at the expense of renewables. With open support from the investors on the right wing of politics, and covert support from the antinuclear sentiments on the left, the gas industry is in a position of arrogance, contemptuous of any commitment to decarbonise. Renewables present no more than an irritation to the gas industry, and as you see in the comment above, renewables are being hobbled with little more than squeaks of protest. Openly, the gas industry boasts that every addition of gas is a reduction of emissions. You, I and they know it is a barefaced lie. But then, they are in a position where they can get away with such arrogance. It is a tragedy that is coming soon to a grid near you.
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Post by David B. Benson on Jun 2, 2020 19:02:43 GMT 9.5
Roger Clifton --- Hardly appropriate for a thread on the state of solar PV. Instead start a new thread.
But, nonetheless: 1. Using CCGTS results in about half the CO2 emissions of using bituminous coal, better compared to burning lignite. 2. As pointed out on the Hydrogen as Fuel thread, gas turbines are easily converted to burn hydrogen; no CO2. 3. Excess solar power in the middle of the day can be used to produce so-called green hydrogen. Similarly for excess wind power. The hydrogen can be stored against future use. 4. Every household solar power installation should have two meters; one for buying at retail, the other for selling at wholesale.
5. The price of solar PV is going to continue to drop, rather substantially.
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Post by David B. Benson on Jun 4, 2020 4:59:25 GMT 9.5
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Post by David B. Benson on Jun 4, 2020 5:06:59 GMT 9.5
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Post by David B. Benson on Jun 8, 2020 22:07:17 GMT 9.5
1.35 Cents/kWh: Record Abu Dhabi Solar Bid Is A Sober Reminder To Fossil Fuel Pundits Carlo Ombello 2020 Jun 08 CleanTechnica bravenewclimate.proboards.com/board/4/energyContains further nuggets such as the recent bid for a Kern County utility-scale solar installion with a 4 hour duration battery providing "dispatchable" power for just under $40/MWh.
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Post by huon on Jun 9, 2020 7:08:11 GMT 9.5
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Post by David B. Benson on Jun 12, 2020 14:51:19 GMT 9.5
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Post by David B. Benson on Jun 19, 2020 10:41:44 GMT 9.5
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Post by David B. Benson on Jun 25, 2020 5:39:51 GMT 9.5
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Post by David B. Benson on Jul 1, 2020 7:35:57 GMT 9.5
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Post by David B. Benson on Jul 1, 2020 14:55:16 GMT 9.5
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Post by David B. Benson on Jul 1, 2020 16:33:13 GMT 9.5
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Post by David B. Benson on Jul 3, 2020 7:11:19 GMT 9.5
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Post by David B. Benson on Jul 3, 2020 8:54:31 GMT 9.5
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Post by David B. Benson on Jul 8, 2020 9:21:46 GMT 9.5
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Post by David B. Benson on Jul 25, 2020 13:11:08 GMT 9.5
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Post by huon on Jul 26, 2020 14:53:54 GMT 9.5
See also the Jun 3 comment "Double-sided solar panels that follow the sun prove most cost effective". The Texas installation is an example.
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Post by David B. Benson on Aug 2, 2020 22:27:14 GMT 9.5
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Post by huon on Aug 4, 2020 15:50:16 GMT 9.5
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Post by David B. Benson on Aug 21, 2020 18:42:37 GMT 9.5
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Post by David B. Benson on Aug 27, 2020 3:36:33 GMT 9.5
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