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0 pointshouseabsolute15y ago0 comments

I'm fine with the idea that more lines would have to be built in the case of wind-power. That's not what I was questioning. I was questioning the claim that the US power grid is in a "miserable state" for current applications, which is a notion I see bandied about a lot with nary a citation.

Also would you please describe what about the switching technology in the grid is going to have to get better? Or cite some source that does so?

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sethg15y ago· 2 in thread

I think this is basically what people mean by “miserable state”. It’s not just more lines, but more very-very-high-voltage lines. Also, these lines are generally regulated at the state level: the government of Nebraska may not be exactly eager to authorize a high-tension swath being cut through its land just so that power can get from North Dakota to Texas.

Regarding switching technology, Technology Review had an article a while ago (http://www.technologyreview.com/microsites/spain/wind/) mentioning the wind-power industry in Spain: “Because wind is an intermittent resource, providing power only when it blows, the grid has to be able to cope with fluctuations and dips in electricity. When wind accounted for only a small percentage of the country’s power, such dips made little difference. But as this resource achieved greater prominence, split-second losses of power could have caused problems, especially since Spain doesn’t have strong grid connections with neighboring countries....” The article goes on to describe how the grid management system adapts to this problem.

houseabsoluteOP15y ago

OK, I still haven't seen any evidence that the US's system is relatively miserable. Am I not clearly asking for what I want? Articles about how Spain's grid system adapts to wind power don't do much to prove the point that I'm questioning.

sasvari15y ago

The fact that the grid still works most of the time for most of the people doesn't proove that the grid is in good shape, in my point of view. Yes, it worked, and it still works. But the US missed to invest in its infrastructure - roads, bridges, water, just to name a few besides the grid - in the last couple of decades. This might be cheap on the short term, but it's going to be even more expensive in the future. The US has a critical investment deficite regarding its infrastructure, including the grid.

'In August 2003, the power failure that affected 50 million people in the United States and Canada was not caused by a single extraordinary event on a single system, but rather a series of routine events that quickly became unmanageable because of an aging electricity distribution system lacking redundancy. National laboratories and others that have evaluated the weak points in our energy infrastructure have identified similar scenarios where a seemingly modest, routine occurrence can cascade into a debilitating energy supply disruption in very short order.' - http://www.energyxxi.org/pages/Blueprint_Modernize_and_Prote...

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