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by Iwan-Zotow 2338 days ago
> Are you saying there was another increase in 2019?

Data not yet out, but yes, I believe so. There is a prediction it would rise till 2022 though not yet reaching the peak of 2013.

https://www.greencarcongress.com/2019/03/20190306-coal.html

> I assume that coal plants become unprofitable once they need considerable maintenance because they're not being built any more

mmm... not sure this is true about coal plants not being build. China and India I believe still building them.

> Further, because the price of solar and wind power is dropping.

well, while they are dropping, coal production is gorwing three years in a row (and potentially another three years in making).

> hen in a few years, building a new solar plant becomes cheaper

and what people supposed to do by night?

You recognize, that even if you saturate your grid by solar electricity from, say, 11 to 5, there are still 18 hours left...
1 comments
njb311 2338 days ago
Renewable energy storage is a solved problem, with a number of techniques already in use. It is a recognised part of the scaling-up of renewables generation by the grid operators, along with the knowledge that grids themselves need to be updated. But the idea that somehow energy experts are slapping their foreheads thinking 'OMG how did we miss this' is slightly insulting.
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Iwan-Zotow 2338 days ago
> Renewable energy storage is a solved problem, with a number of techniques already in use.

mmm... could you name a most significant one?

> But the idea that somehow energy experts are slapping their foreheads thinking 'OMG how did we miss this' is slightly insulting.

well, let me remind you how this conversation started - coal production is GROWING. Not because someone is just evil, but this is what customers demand - reliable supply of cheap electricity

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Arnt 2335 days ago
Where I come from, the hydroelectric plants are run partly according to the price. There are rules, the rivers can't be dry, but as far as permitted, the operators let the water flow when the price is high. Much of the weather forecasting is paid for by that; the power generating companies model electricity demand for the coming hours and days.

Where I live right now, the farmers are building things like this: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fa/20... The green things are more or less balloons, because it pays to store the gas until peak time and burn most of it then.

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Iwan-Zotow 2333 days ago
> Where I come from, the hydroelectric plants are run partly according to the price. There are rules, the rivers can't be dry, but as far as permitted, the operators let the water flow when the price is high. Much of the weather forecasting is paid for by that; the power generating companies model electricity demand for the coming hours and days.

yeah, the only problem is how to apply this model to, say, south of US - California, Arizona, New Mexico, Nevada etc. Not a lot of hydro around

> The green things are more or less balloons, because it pays to store the gas until peak time and burn most of it then.

not sure how it is applicable to electric storage

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