“If your mother was on life support, would you want coal or renewables supplying electricity to her hospital?”
Historically, using renewable energy round-the-clock and relying on it for emergencies has been either impossible or far too expensive. Low-cost batteries are changing that picture.
Thanks Lucy - a sharp software update for me re: coal and solar’s relative reliability.
I agree that the future is hybrid. I’m curious if different energy players will be jostling to be the ‘main source’ for energy grids, or if there will be a conglomeration that uses both coal and solar - selling the outcome of 24/7 power regardless of where it comes from.
Thanks Felix. I think they already are "jostling" in how they bid in markets or on contracts, and it's up to the grid operator/utility/supplier to make it work so that the customer gets 24/7 power. If it's financially helpful to combine in one bidding unit versus stay separate, I'm sure they will - eg solar and storage together makes solar more valuable to the developers. Also coal and batteries together improves efficiency and allows them to store excess for when solar isn't running.... but is a less climate friendly outcome
NESO is shown itself very adept in the UK at "keeping the lights on" but at an ever increasing cost which was always going to happen with larger penetration of renewables. Thing was the cost of the energy was supposed to be cheaper than old school fossil fuelled baseload but that hasn't happened. UK as early mover here entered into very expensive subsidy arrangements to get generation built particularly ROC supported and thats going to cost us until the next decade. CfDs were not much better initially but then had a sharp stepdown (AR3/4) which we now know was unsustainable and a fudge up has been allowed in part rebidding into AR6. Thing is none of the offshore wind farms built under these rounds have yet to actualise their CfD so consumers aren't seeing the benefit. This is a flaw which still hasnt been closed off in later rounds albeit with much higher wholesale prices now there probably wont be an incentive on them to not actualise. the bottom line is renewables are never going to save us money but they will of course help displace fossil fuels out of our generation but that of course isn't the only source of CO2 emissions and I fear too much emphasis has gone on generation and insufficient in other areas.
As the earth’s sky, we may become our stars rising, by recognizing that to move for the coequal station, is to move forth with and for everyone, as the~shielded~shield~of~Nature.
That we may be the Truth of our Humanitee, together becoming an Earth Rising.
Thanks Lucy - a sharp software update for me re: coal and solar’s relative reliability.
I agree that the future is hybrid. I’m curious if different energy players will be jostling to be the ‘main source’ for energy grids, or if there will be a conglomeration that uses both coal and solar - selling the outcome of 24/7 power regardless of where it comes from.
Thanks Felix. I think they already are "jostling" in how they bid in markets or on contracts, and it's up to the grid operator/utility/supplier to make it work so that the customer gets 24/7 power. If it's financially helpful to combine in one bidding unit versus stay separate, I'm sure they will - eg solar and storage together makes solar more valuable to the developers. Also coal and batteries together improves efficiency and allows them to store excess for when solar isn't running.... but is a less climate friendly outcome
NESO is shown itself very adept in the UK at "keeping the lights on" but at an ever increasing cost which was always going to happen with larger penetration of renewables. Thing was the cost of the energy was supposed to be cheaper than old school fossil fuelled baseload but that hasn't happened. UK as early mover here entered into very expensive subsidy arrangements to get generation built particularly ROC supported and thats going to cost us until the next decade. CfDs were not much better initially but then had a sharp stepdown (AR3/4) which we now know was unsustainable and a fudge up has been allowed in part rebidding into AR6. Thing is none of the offshore wind farms built under these rounds have yet to actualise their CfD so consumers aren't seeing the benefit. This is a flaw which still hasnt been closed off in later rounds albeit with much higher wholesale prices now there probably wont be an incentive on them to not actualise. the bottom line is renewables are never going to save us money but they will of course help displace fossil fuels out of our generation but that of course isn't the only source of CO2 emissions and I fear too much emphasis has gone on generation and insufficient in other areas.
As the earth’s sky, we may become our stars rising, by recognizing that to move for the coequal station, is to move forth with and for everyone, as the~shielded~shield~of~Nature.
That we may be the Truth of our Humanitee, together becoming an Earth Rising.
https://open.substack.com/pub/republia/p/for-the-preservation-of-freedom-and?r=4ucf6d&utm_medium=ios&shareImageVariant=overlay