However, the loss of solar power when the sun went down likely had the greatest impact—the loss in available electricity occurred as demand for cooling increased precipitously during the hottest part of the day and into the evening. [...] In response to these developments, the grid operator delayed the retirement of several gas plants, encouraged people to conserve by implementing a higher temperature setting for air conditioning units, incentivized the import of more power during peak-demand periods, and encouraged power companies to install utility-scale batteries to store solar power to supply the grid in the evening and at nigh. [...] The case for lower costs is based on trends in the prices of various components comprising renewable engines—the costs of components used to make wind turbines and the cost of solar photovoltaic (PV) panels.7 Essentially, it is based on cost studies that estimate the levelized cost of energy (LCOE)—the life-cycle cost of producing a kilowatt hour (kWh) of electricity. [...] The CF is defined as the electricity produced over some period, measured in energy terms (MWh), divided by the potential electricity that could be produced over the same period, which is calculated by 8 | P a g e multiplying the asset’s capacity by the number of hours in the period under consideration (say, 8760 hours for a year). [...] The Myths of ‘Green’ Energy and the Real Fuels of the Future.
Authors
- Pages
- 21
- Published in
- Canada
