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If that were true on the mainland, solar and wind would not need generous subsidies.
Actually in many areas solar and wind have dropped enough in price that they do not need tax credits. There is also a problem, especially with solar, in crediting pv with all of the transmission and ancillary benefits they provide.
We would need something on the order of 10,000 large pumped storage facilities in order to have a 7 day power supply for the USA. If we think 7 days of storage is not necessary, even one day of storage is still 1400 large pumped storage facilities.
Simple cycle gas turbines are a more robust solution to the issue of intermittency. We already have a large amount of it installed and rarely used.
Mines may not be at full capacity, due to nature gas and solar. However we are supplying the Chinese's and other countries. These mines were almost shut down.
May 9, 2017 - EIA expects growth in demand for U.S. coal exports to contribute to a 5% increase in coal production in 2017. Forecast growth in coal-fired ...
Coal production increases during second half of 2016, but still below 2015 levels ... U.S. coal production and coal-fired electricity generation expected to rise in ...
Actually in many areas solar and wind have dropped enough in price that they do not need tax credits. There is also a problem, especially with solar, in crediting pv with all of the transmission and ancillary benefits they provide.
Can you name a specific location?
Solar City had to pull out of sunny Nevada because the state eliminated some of their support for rooftop solar.
Without government support, the only places solar is competitive is areas where conventional electricity generation is very expensive (like remote islands and remote villages).
The cost of solar should continue to drop, but for most areas it will probably be a decade or two before solar panels are cheap enough to compete without government support.
We already have existing standby capacity for when those coal and nuclear units are out of commission. It requires nothing new.
Quote:
Originally Posted by DCforever
Simple cycle gas turbines are a more robust solution to the issue of intermittency. We already have a large amount of it installed and rarely used.
Do we have enough standby capacity for a period when all of the coal and nuclear units are offline at the same time AND demand is at record highs?. If we are going to use wind and solar, that's the capacity we would need here in the Northeast for a long period of calm cloudy weather in December.
Mines may not be at full capacity, due to nature gas and solar. However we are supplying the Chinese's and other countries. These mines were almost shut down.
May 9, 2017 - EIA expects growth in demand for U.S. coal exports to contribute to a 5% increase in coal production in 2017. Forecast growth in coal-fired ...
Coal production increases during second half of 2016, but still below 2015 levels ... U.S. coal production and coal-fired electricity generation expected to rise in ...
IIRC while there may be a small uptick in coal production, that is nearly all attributed to MET coal (for steel making). Steam coal (for heating/power plants) production is either flat or still dropping.
Again, long as the USA is awash in natural gas coal use for power generation will continue to flat line or outright decline. Throw in tighter energy use standards for all sorts of appliances or anything else that uses electric power, and then add other sources such as renewables.....
Do we have enough standby capacity for a period when all of the coal and nuclear units are offline at the same time AND demand is at record highs?. If we are going to use wind and solar, that's the capacity we would need here in the Northeast for a long period of calm cloudy weather in December.
We have adults operate our electrical system Freak. Don't worry the lights will stay on.
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