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Tesla update: Charging/range on long trips, cold weather and average energy use
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KDD
Posted 1/13/2024 09:40 (#10571407 - in reply to #10569764)
Subject: RE: Tesla update: Charging/range on long trips, cold weather and average energy use



Leesburg, Ohio		dpilot, I'm not a huge fan of EVs, but your post was very interesting informative. Thank you!

I don't have so much a problem with EVs as I have with how to get power to them, and with solar power replacing coal and gas plants prematurely.

The one issue I have with your post is when you said: "......... I really love the idea of decentralized solar as it both stabilizes the grid and empowers individuals."......

OK, I like the "idea" of solar also, (and also not in the form of large solar arrays taking up thousands of acres of good farmland.)
The problem is, the "idea" of solar is an incomplete solution the way it is being implemented so far.
The fact that solar panels can be decentralized is ok, and in itself can be a "stabilizing" influence on the grid, when looking only at geographic sources.

The problem comes with the fact that solar panels do not produce "dispatchable" power. In other words, solar panels only produce power when there is sufficient sunlight, and not on a continuous basis anytime power is needed.

Having a "reliable" grid, means that we have sufficient power generation to meet instantaneous demand ANYTIME as needed, AND we have adequate transmission lines to move that power from the generation source to the point of consumption. Solar power provides NEITHER.

It may sound trite, and like a broken record, but it is true: solar panels only work when the sun shines, and the sun does NOT always shine when and where the power is needed.
And even if you buy into the idea that the sun is always shining somewhere, that means you have to have an even more robust transmission system to move huge amounts of power across the entire country. WE do not have such a system, and never have had! And what we do have is already totally inadequate for the growing demand.

Let me circle back around that last thought: Even if you have more than adequate solar generation capacity in an area, there are going to be many times that solar generation in huge swaths of our country is USELESS during periods of high demand. And the transmission grid we have today, and for the foreseeable future, is NOT ADEQUATE to bring that much power that far.

On the other hand, with coal and gas generation, they can be spooled up on a few minutes notice any time day or night pretty much regardless of weather. That is called DISPATCHABLE POWER, and is what this world has run on for more than 100 years.

The only way solar can become "dispatchable" is with huge battery storage. 6-8 years ago the leading scientists in the solar industry almost guaranteed that we would have large scale battery storage facilities in five years. WE are no wher close to that yet.

Until this problem is solved, the closing of coal and gas generation plants is absolutely insane!


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