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0 pointsxal14y ago0 comments

all the batteries that we have ever build combined cannot store 10 minutes of the electricity that we currently use. We need order of magnitude breakthrough with batteries first.

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bobo88814y ago

Usually a hydro power plant is used as a "battery". When the demand is low, the electricity produced by wind/solar power plants is used to pump the water uphill. When the demand is high, the hydro power plant releases that water to produce energy.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pumped_hydro

Luyt14y ago

That works in Norway, but would it work all over the globe?

jbm14y ago

They do it in Japan, and I think they do it in Quebec. Don't quote me on the second one.

They had to have rotating power outages for a week or two in Japan after the earthquake because of the need to replenish those reserves.

rosser14y ago

An article posted to HN some time back:

http://www.fastcompany.com/1708167/how-to-make-lithium-batte...

Discussion:

http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1986640

Summary: Infusing Li-based batteries with the Tobacco Mosaic virus could boost their storage capacity up to 10x. There's one order of magnitude...

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