Fundamental to existing electricity supply around the world is “base load”, mainly provided by fossil &/or nuclear. Norway is an exception, with 99% of electric power provided by hydro*.
Hydo & geothermal excepted, renewable sources of electrical energy are intermittent: solar when the Sun shines, wind only when it blows.
All of the above notwithstanding, some claim that base load is an outdated concept. They reason that a modern grid, of continental scale, can be used to supply power from the places where the Sun is shining &/or the wind is blowing to the places where little or no power is being generated. E.g. Professor Mark Diesendorf, at the University of New South Wales claims that all of Australia’s electricity needs can be supplied with wind & solar, existing hydro, plus 6% from bio-fuelled gas turbines. In such a mix, the bio-fuelled gas turbines would be filling the peak demand function which fossil-fueled gas turbines fulfil in the existing Australian & other grids.
If it turns out that base load is required for a sustainable power grid, there are a few possibilities, including:
● Ambri utility-scale aluminium storage battery
● Repurposed used electric vehicle batteries
● Tesla has just announced its range of power storage batteries for domestic, businesses & power utility use:
http://www.gizmodo.com.au/2015/05/tesla-powerwall-a-battery-for-your-home/
Tesla Power Wall press kit
http://www.teslamotors.com/presskit/teslaenergy
Should you get a Tesla Power Wall?
http://www.wired.com/2015/05/get-tesla-home-battery-let-physics-explain/
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* “Renewable energy in Norway” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Renewable_energy_in_Norway / 20 trillion kWh energy power supply energy nuclear power plant fossil fuel transportation electricity production USA electric power sector carbon dioxide CO2 EPA forest environmental damage electricity grid fossil fuels sustainable renewable energy sources power consumption dirtiest power generation resources cleaner smaller more resilient energy grid Tesla Energy homes businesses utilities fostering clean energy ecosystem fossil fuel energy innovation company Tesla Energy zero emission power generation Tesla Energy, Tesla move away from fossil fuels sustainable energy Tesla batteries store sustainable renewable energy manage power demand backup power increase grid resilience renewable power partners deploy storage on the grid improve resiliency cleanliness grid Tesla Powerwall rechargeable lithium-ion battery store energy residential level load shifting backup power self-consumption solar power generation Powerwall Tesla’s lithium-ion battery pack liquid thermal control system software dispatch commands solar inverter integrated with the local grid harness excess power load shifting financial savings charging during low rate periods demand for electricity lower discharging more expensive rate periods electricity demand is higher increasing self-consumption rooftop roof top solar power generation store surplus solar energy generated back-up power outage Powerwall grid outages solar grid backup power optimized solar power Powerwall cost benefits installers load shifting mounting wall mounted indoor outdoor inverter energy continuous power peak power round trip efficiency warranty Powerwall distribution Treehouse sustainable home improvement store Fronius Symo Hybrid inverter photovoltaic PV reduces overall system cost SolarEdge Green Mountain Power powertrain Tesla electric vehicle Tesla energy storage systems consumption avoid peak demand charges power outage Amazon Target Jackson Family Wines EnerNOC Tesla Energy for Utilities Advanced Microgrid Solutions OnCor Southern California Edison Edison Energy Edison International AES /
