[kokanee]

Your point of view here seems to neglect energy storage. There is no use for excess renewables that is more productive than storing it for later, when intermittent renewables go offline. Stored renewable energy is the only thing that can replace fossil energy at those times.

This is why billions of dollars are going into storage and transport for renewable energy (batteries, hydrogen, and some outliers like methane and ammonia). Creating any new energy demand, be it flexible or constant, only increases the total amount of renewables we need.

> our entire grid could be renewables in excess of peak demand

Are you hypothesizing about a world where we have more renewables than we can consume at all times? Sure, I guess mine away in that world. In this world, though, it's doing measurable damage.

[Scoundreller]

Energy storage doesn’t just have to be chemical reservoirs like that. Since most residential loads are thermal (heating and cooling of air and water), there’s quite a potential to make improvements there. Other loads are often “deferrable” or advancable.

When electricity is cheap, run the fridge/freezer extra hard, make ice or ultra-heat the water tank. Or “pre-charge” the building extra hot or cool but within level of comfort.

When it’s expensive, maybe slow down the dryer/dish|clothes washing or defer it for some hours. Same for any charging. At the end of the day, I don’t care if my stuff is washed+dry in 50 or 500 minutes most of the time.

[staplers]

  Your point of view here seems to neglect energy storage.

"Why do we need currency when we can just store commodities?"

  Are you hypothesizing about a world where we have more renewables than we can consume at all times?

https://www.caiso.com/documents/curtailmentfastfacts.pdf

You are deeply out of touch with reality if you believe they aren't curtailing capability during slow demand.

[kokanee]

> "Why do we need currency when we can just store commodities?"

Did I imply that we don't need or shouldn't have currency? And are you implying that crypto and stored renewable energy should be equivalent priorities?

> You are deeply out of touch with reality if you believe they aren't curtailing capability

"At all times" was the key qualifier to my statement. I'm well aware that excess capacity from intermittent sources is a huge problem and curtailment is the workaround employed these days, which is precisely why I'm saying that storage should be a higher priority than crypto.

[staplers]

I guess you can wave your magic wand around and make "storage" happen. I'll leave you to it.