Re: Remember "Bit-Slice" Chips ?

The Natural Philosopher <tnp@invalid.invalid> wrote:

On 07/12/2024 18:24, Rich wrote:

Nighttime is the big one.  Until the world's electric grids are
sufficiently interconnected that power generated in the Saraha Desert
at noon can be shipped to the other side of the world where it is dark
to supply power to that location there*must*  be some storage, somehow,
to account for night/twilight/a run of 14+ overcast days/etc.
 

When I did all these calculations years ago the answer that came up
every time was 'nuclear is simply cheaper, more reliable, more self
sufficient and in every way better'

As it happens an Australian report with contradictory conclusions
has been all over the local media:
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-12-09/nuclear-power-plant-twice-as-costly-as-renewables/104691114
https://www.csiro.au/en/research/technology-space/energy/GenCost

More sunny here than most places, of course.

And, even if the world's electric grid was interconnected sufficient to
ship solar power from Africa to the other side of the globe, we measly
humans would simply use those interconnnects to try to enforce
geopolitical rules on other locations we don't like by attempting to
deny them "night time power".

 
Or the Russians would cut the cable anyway, just for kicks.

There's a project to export solar power from Australia to Singapore
through an undersea cable:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australia-Asia_Power_Link
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s41825-020-00032-z

I wouldn't bet on it myself though.

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