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by ascar 1426 days ago
> Building 3x renewables in widely distributed places radically reduces volatility.

Is that actually true? Serious question. That sounds like a claim that seems so obvious, but won't hold up to the degree you might think in reality. Just one scenario I'm thinking of are giant storms that have clouds spanning multiple countries. And in that storm scenario even wind power shuts down to prevent damage.
2 comments
cinntaile 1426 days ago
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rser.2015.12.318 has tried to analyze this for the EU. I'm not convinced that daily data provides the necessary granularity though, but more detailed data for the mentioned time span probably doesn't exist. I would try to find some more articles and check if there is a consensus.
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ncmncm 1426 days ago
Such giant storms are rare, and short-lived. A few days' storage outlasts them.
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ascar 1426 days ago
A few days of storage is a lot though isn't it?
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ncmncm 1426 days ago
How much NG do utilities stockpile?

A few days' would be a lot of batteries, but you don't use batteries for that. A few days' pumped hydro, e.g., is not much at all.

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