Hacker News new | ask | show | jobs
by pyrale 258 days ago
> eg. turn on aluminium smelters when it's windy

I'd be curious to learn how you intend to amortize that aluminium smelter, while also being competitive on aluminium markets.

> The variable-to-firm transformation enablers include energy storage, the optimum blending of VREs and other renewable resources, geographic dispersion, and supply/demand flexibility.

Yeah... provided someone else does that for them, VREs are very cheap.
1 comments
ZeroGravitas 258 days ago
Smelters around the globe are doing this already. Rio Tinto operates one in New Zealand to help manage seasonal hydro flows for example.

In Australia the same firm is vocal that unless the local area moves from coal to renewables they won't hit price points that are competitive on the global market.

link
defrost 258 days ago
Further info re: Australian Aluminium production

   The four aluminium smelters in Australia consume 10% of the nation’s electricity and produce close to 5% of total emissions.
  Smelting is so energy intensive that in many countries, it has driven the construction of new fossil fuel power plants.

  That’s why it’s nicknamed “congealed electricity”.

  This week, the federal government proposed a new policy aimed at making aluminium smelting green.
* https://www.climateworkscentre.org/news/will-tax-incentives-...

* https://aluminium.org.au/australian-industry/australian-alum...

link