Questions about Solar Power

[dhouston]

It almost works in Firefox. But Firefox complains about outdated Flash on the site. Chrome won't even let me continue. IE11 handles it properly. Thanks.

I use Firefox with the Shockwave Flash add-on. I've uninstalled Adobe Flash due to security issues.
http://ezinearticles.com/?Adobe-Flash-Player:-A-Risk-To-Privacy-and-Security&id=5147319

Here's another article on some similar technology.
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/secretive-company-claims-battery-breakthrough/

The Forbes story was about this company.
http://24-m.com/

[dhouston]

I noted earlier in the thread that some Texas wind utilities were giving away power at night. This morning the NYT has an article about Energy Department approval of transmission lines to transport the wind energy surplus of the Texas/Oklahoma panhandle to other regions.
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/26/business/energy-environment/wind-power-transmission-project-in-plains-earns-us-approval.html?ref=business

[dhouston]

I'm surprised coal is still being utilized when natural gas is so much easier to move around. I do have natural gas now for cooking, heating, etc.

Most of the major banks appear to agree with you.
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/21/business/dealbook/as-coals-future-grows-murkier-banks-pull-financing.html
And that may be a much bigger factor than the environmentalists.

I live in a building that uses hot water heat from a gas fired boiler. I've been surprised that the retail price of gas has not followed the wholesale market.

[bkenobi]

I had to disable ad blocking to get to the article.  I turned it back on after through the banner.

Interesting technology.  Only issue I see is that they are not at production yet and they believe they will reach a 50% reduction in overall battery costs.  If they can do that, then backup batteries may become viable down the road.  They are currently too small and expensive from what I've read about the Tesla solution.

Washington is really 2 climates though only 1 is reported on.  Western WA (Seattle) gets rain around 300 days a year.  Eastern WA is a desert.  The water that feeds the generators at Grand Coulee comes from the Columbia which is fed by the Rockies.  We had a bit of a drought in Western WA last year or two, but this winter has been one of the wettest on record.  Things tend to be cyclical and the El Nino is certainly making my lawn soggy right now.  I know that last year spring was pretty dry as the game bird hatch was really good.  I hadn't heard that there was a significant difference in the water flow through the dam because of the W. WA drought, but it's certainly possible.  Heck, there's a man made lake that expensive homes have been built on which was half empty because the state decided not to divert water into it so you're probably right!

[dhouston]

I had to disable ad blocking to get to the article.  I turned it back on after through the banner.

I hadn't thought of that - will have to try it. I've had AdBlock it set to turn off at their site and come back automagically when I exit. That's probably why it didn't occur to me to suggest ad blocking as the cause of the problem accessing the article.

There are almost daily articles (in reputable publications) about new advances in the basic technologies (e.g. improved solar efficiency, lower fabrication costs, new transmission lines) so it's likely there will be cost effective storage solutions in the near future.

And, yes, I think it rained every time I was in Seattle.

[bkenobi]

We generally check the flights to see when people are arriving to make it rain.  Keeps the tourists from staying too long.   

[dhouston]

This is sure to slow the adoption of residential solar...
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/07/27/business/energy-environment/why-home-solar-panels-no-longer-pay-in-some-states.html
while increasing demand for storage batteries.
https://www.yahoo.com/news/tesla-opens-gigafactory-expand-battery-204937250.html?nhp=1

[dhouston]

A different type of solar power.
http://gizmodo.com/solar-capture-technique-turns-co2-into-burnable-fuel-1784522575

[dave w]

A different type of solar power.
http://gizmodo.com/solar-capture-technique-turns-co2-into-burnable-fuel-1784522575

This is interesting, but with an output of carbon monoxide the AGW lunies will have a cow. 

[dhouston]

A different type of solar power.
http://gizmodo.com/solar-capture-technique-turns-co2-into-burnable-fuel-1784522575

This is interesting, but with an output of carbon monoxide the AGW lunies will have a cow.  

As I understand it the two byproducts plus water equals usable liquid fuel. Of course, the cow's methane will be counterproductive.

Here's another article...
http://www.takepart.com/article/2016/07/28/experimental-artificial-leaf-solar-cell-converts-co2-usable-fuel

[dhouston]

And yet another article on batteries for storing solar energy.
http://www.computerworld.com/article/3102132/home-tech/big-batteries-for-every-home-and-business-energy-storage-to-double-this-year.html?google_editors_picks=true

[bkenobi]

I'm pretty sure CO is ok.  Wikipedia (the sole authority on truth) says:

The primary greenhouse gases in Earth's atmosphere are water vapor, carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, and ozone.

So, the silent killer is ok.  Actually, since it kills people who created AGCC, it's probably a good thing these days.   

[dhouston]

Here's yet another article on solar.
http://qz.com/871907/2016-was-the-year-solar-panels-finally-became-cheaper-than-fossil-fuels-just-wait-for-2017/
Here's a short quote.

Solar is projected to fall to half the price of electricity from coal or natural gas within a decade or two.

[HA Dave]

I am immediately suspicious of any acritical that refers to petro fuels as fossil fuel. Since NASA spend nearly a decade researching that. Whereas coal IS inherently fossil related... (and where the term originated). Most petro fuel found in this solar system (Earth's included) has been identified as mineral based decomposition... NOT organic.

[dhouston]

Most petro fuel found in this solar system (Earth's included) has been identified as mineral based decomposition... NOT organic.

Someone should tell the NASA scientists studying Titan about this.
http://www.space.com/4968-titan-oil-earth.html

Cassini has mapped about 20 percent of Titan's surface with radar. Several hundred lakes and seas have been observed, with each of several dozen estimated to contain more hydrocarbon liquid than Earth's oil and gas reserves, according to a NASA statement. The dark dunes that run along the equator contain a volume of organics several hundred times larger than Earth's coal reserves.