| > 1. Long distance transmission lines. Those are really expensive. They're part of the toolbox, but they're not tool #1. > 2. Some type of "clean, firm, dispatchable" power. Examples include: Nuclear fission, fusion power, deep geothermal, and space based solar power. If you're relying on that to supply power during those winter weeks without sun & wind then it has to scale up to 100% of power needs. And if it can do that, why build anything else? To get to 100% carbon free with > 99.99% reliability for under $1T, your primary tool is modelling. Then you reach for: - source diversity. Wind is more expensive than solar, but it tends to be highest at dawn/dusk so is a great complement.
- overprovisioning. Enough solar to supply needs on a cloudy winter day
- storage.
- long distance interconnect. There's never been an hour in recorded history where there's no sun or wind somewhere in the continental US. https://mitpress.mit.edu/9780262545044/electrify/ |
But is that sufficient to handle the full load across the entire continental US? And how do you do that without the really expensive long distance high voltage transmission lines?
Where I live, bad winters can see us go for weeks of full cloud cover and little wind in January. If we really get away from fossil fuels and run heat pumps, that means electrical use in winter will rival that in summer.