[SketchySeaBeast]

I like this idea, but I disagree with this:

> It's cheaper to size production for winter sunshine than to build a lot of storage.

This still doesn't work - storage is mandatory. Winter peak loads, which are often the most power that the grid will require all year, are before and after the sun.

[adrianN]

There’s a huge difference between load shifting a couple of hours and seasonal storage

[SketchySeaBeast]

That's why I didn't specify it needed to be seasonal, but it does need to be stored, as a lot of that load isn't shifting. At 7pm on a -35 day there is zero solar generation, but every furnace in the province is on and people are doing their evening cooking and cleaning.

[bryanlarsen]

You're right, you said "as much storage as production". That's actually a very tiny amount of storage. Generally a "24hr" solar plant for California usage patterns has about 4-6Wh of storage and about 1W of discharge per watt of solar plant. Alberta will likely need ~2X that for daily load shifting during the winter. Seasonal storage would require a couple of orders of magnitude more.

[SketchySeaBeast]

Ah. To clarify, when I said "as much storage as production", I meant focus, not quantity.

[Marsymars]

I'd note that actual -35 days are pretty rare. Per Environment Canada Climate Normal Data from 1991 to 2020, Edmonton averages only 2.5 days per year with a minimum temperature below -30.

[SketchySeaBeast]

While you're correct, they do happen and need to be accounted for, and temperatures in the -30s in general aren't rare, but we're also experiencing more extreme weather as of late. Edmonton set a few records for cold the last few years, and those moments, when the grid is at the most strain, is also when the power is needed the most to keep people safe.