Re: Remember "Bit-Slice" Chips ?

D <nospam@example.net> wrote:

 
 
On Sun, 8 Dec 2024, rbowman wrote:
 

On Sat, 7 Dec 2024 18:24:17 -0000 (UTC), Rich wrote:
>

But today, no, it is not feasable today, other than on a very small
scale (single household) to be 100% solar and have sufficient
storage to cover for some amount of "sun isn't shining" days.

>
The solar companies here take another tack since pure solar isn't
feasible this far north.  According to them when the sun is shining
you pump electricity into the grid, giving you credits when you're
pulling from the grid.  Even then I assume their payback figures are
well cooked.
>

 
Is the grid prepared for this working at scale? And it seems to me that
all solar would "sell" at the same time, driving down the price to zero or
even creating an excess,

Already happens, fairly regularally in CA based on news reports. 
Midday wholesale electric rates often go negative (electricy suppliers
will pay you to use electricity).

while all the ones in this system would need energy at the same time
(night) driving the price up, therefore again, needing some kind of
storage.

This is the current kink.  There is often enough abundance midday that
the price is negative (or generation is curtailed because it has no
sink into which to go).  Nighttime, however, is a very different story.

Reality is, given current tech., pricing, and installed base, some form
of "base generation" using existing tech.  (coal, gas, nuclear, hydro)
is required to last through the nights (and the 'days of overcast' that
sometimes happen).  Only two of the four are 'carbon free' and only one
is suitable for use in geographic areas without significant volumes of
water running downhill.