[raverbashing]

> You literally can't store enough energy in batteries to power the network

You need that only when renewable production goes to zero, that happens pretty much never. Your PV production goes to 0 at night but demand is lower at this time.

So yes, it is completely feasible to do battery load averaging if you do the math correctly

[KUcxrAVrtI]

One can't run an industrial society on an agrarian power source. If we want to go on a holiday for winter, like the good old days, brilliant. But be honest. And be honest what will happen when China realizes that you can't power the grid and all those military bases only work at 50% efficiency in winter.

[raverbashing]

China has the biggest hydroelectric dam in the world, I think they will be just fine (though I'm not sure it does pumped hydro - they probably don't bother).

[icebraining]

I think the point was that China would take advantage of the energy weakness of other countries during the winter somehow.

[Nasrudith]

Ironically that is /really/ obsolete thinking. Pax atomica says hi for one.

[KUcxrAVrtI]

Nitroglycerin will make war too horrible to fight.

Wonder where I've heard that before.