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Mike Dee's avatar

A quick calculation for NY State: Last year, we got a bit less than 10% of our electrical ENERGY from Wind and Solar. To meet power requirements for Net Zero in the future (140% of current baseload) knowing that 20% will come from hydro, and 20% from existing Nuclear, will require nominally 10x more Wind and Solar than we now have. But that does not include what is required to handle Dunkelflaute.

A 4-day Dunkelflaute is common here, particularly in the winter. Storing enough energy to withstand a 4-day Dunkelflaute would require 10 x 4 = 40 times more Wind and Solar generation than we now have, with the requirement that we will need to recharge batteries within one day (common).

However, where will we get enough Battery Storage (BESS) to store energy for a 4-day Dunkelflaute? Remember that Batteries will need to be replaced every 10 years because they degrade. We also would need to replace Wind and Solar infrastructure on a 12-20 year basis as it wears out.

2 Questions:

(1) What will we do with all the junk?

(2) How will we afford new stuff? Under Net-Zero, can we even make new stuff?

Asking for a friend.

MDee

Ed Reid's avatar

Good questions. Last question is the best. ;-)

Mike Dee's avatar

I submitted the NYS law requiring that all Net Zero infrastructure be mined, processed, manufactured, and installed using only Net Zero power. Dems refused to move it out of committee. This proved that Wind and Solar are not sustainable.

dave walker's avatar

Energy stupidity marches on…..

Ed Reid's avatar

...but to the "tune of a different drummer".

Adeniyi  Adeniji's avatar

Yhh this is also becoming a reality in the UK. you can track the position of the sun to optimise your solar generation. i found a calculator at plugsolarhub.co.uk/calculator to calculate how much saving it mean