Midwest Should Prepare for Rolling Blackouts this Summer

a reply to: gb540

Yah, fire is the best we can do, I guess.

Not everyone knows that nuke power plants just boil water. Really. True story.

a reply to: Phage

Then build nuke plants across the US. Have fun getting permits. And financing.

Probably would be easier to pump the ANWR dry (itself a political near impossibility).

a reply to: gb540

How about a solar steam turbine? Use fresnel lenses to boil the water instead of fire. Or an Archimedes setup by focusing hundreds of mirrors on the tank…which was explored in Fallout 3: New Vegas.

a reply to: Ahabstar

Given the sunlight, PV is more efficient.

a reply to: Phage

Really? Not seen a solar panel melt granite.

a reply to: Ahabstar

That is a fresnel lens, not a solar panel. You could also use a concave mirror. It would boil water real nice, but not produce much electricity.

a reply to: Phage

Did I not say a solar steam turbine?

Did you hit your head or need to visit an optometrist?

a reply to: Ahabstar

Did I not say PV is more efficient?

a reply to: Phage

A PV solar panel is not more efficient than a steam turbine no matter what boils the water. PV solar panels become even less efficient over time until replacement between 10-20 years depending of seasonal fluctuations. CA, AZ, NM, NV would last longer than MT, ND, MN, NE.

Some environments would be worthless like north of Arctic Circle due to limited sunlight. Versus Equatorial Tropics other than areas of significant monsoonal rains.

Worst of all the environmental disaster caused if/when they catch fire. May as well installed a nuclear facility than a 10 acre solar farm.

a reply to: Ahabstar

A PV solar panel is not more efficient than a steam turbine no matter what boils the water.

Then why are household PV panels used in lieu of household solar boilers? Got something more efficient than current PV? Put it on the market!

That big thing in Arizona didn't seem to pan out, did it?

a reply to: Phage

Simple and self-contained does not equal efficiency.

Hydroelectric is incredibly long lasting. Some of the generators in use at Niagara were installed by Tesla. Pretty much pure profit for about 100 years now as maintenance is fairly low. Not many homes can do a home hydroelectric setup.

Home heating and cooling would be better served with a geothermal system. Expensive though and you still need the air forced and the hot water heated by other means. But home nuclear plants are not really feasible.

a reply to: Ahabstar

Simple and self-contained does not equal efficiency.

Did I say it does?

Geothermal is great, in some places. But yeah, a home nuke is not really feasible now or in the foreseeable future. Nor would it be efficient because they would cost a whole lot more than a PV system.

In any case PV, on most any scale, works better than solar water boiling. And its getting better all the time.

Solana production

Maximum annual electricity production was projected at 900,000 MW·h (900 GW·h), as calculated using the project's and NREL specific capacity factors.[16] In 2020, Solana Generating Station has averaged 82.4% of the projected production value.[15] Nearby photovoltaic power station Agua Caliente, covering a larger site area of 2400 acres, had a Loan Programs Office projected generation of only 559 GW·h (instead yielding an average real 727 GW·h production).

82.4% vs 78.9% on 1920 acres vs 2400 acres. Seems to be more efficient on less land to me.

a reply to: Ahabstar

82.4% vs 78.9% on 1920 acres vs 2400 acres.

Read more closely what you posted.

In 2020, Solana Generating Station has averaged 82.4% of the projected production value.

They produced 17.6% less than what was projected.

a reply to: JAGStorm

I can survive without air conditioning, but I will be really pissed if my fridge/freezer gets decimated.

originally posted by: theatreboy
I wonder....

For years, we have talked about how bad our grid is.

Is this due to high temps? Or the fact that people are going "green"? In reality, we have not increased our generating stations, our infrastructure is old, and....wait for it.....the majority of electricity is generated by fossil fuels. And the supply is going down and the price up, just like gas-also from fossil fuel.

Does anybody else see this, or am I just a nutty CT?

not nutty.

these are the same people that think they can control the climate of the whole planet?

ok.

a reply to: Phage

And the larger solar farm produced 21% less than projected.

Again, did you hit your head or have trouble seeing? It is noticeable enough to become a little concerning.

Retire power plants with no back up power plant being built to replace it. Good job America.

I might have figured out the cause of this electricity problem.

The COVID part did not work as planned. By this time, the electrical system should be shedding load by having less people to support. Not enough people died.