Content deleted Content added
→Intermittency: solar energy: editing |
|||
Line 115:
==Intermittency: solar energy==
{{main|Solar power}}
Intermittency inherently affects solar energy, as the production of electricity from solar sources depends on the amount of light energy in a given ___location. At current penetration levels, solar energy presents few issues for integration into existing electricity grids, and discussion of potential issues is highly theoretical. In principle, electric grids with high proportions of solar energy will also suffer from intermittency: electricity produced is not dispatchable and cannot be increased on demand.
The extent to which the intermittency of solar-generated electricity is an issue will also depend on the degree to which the generation profile of solar corresponds to demand cycles. In locales where air conditioning is a driver of demand and corresponds to periods of high sunlight, the intermittency may be less problematic. This may also correspond to locations with high solar production possibilities. For example, solar thermal power plants designed for solar-only generation (such as [[Nevada Solar One]]) are ideally matched to summer noon peak loads in prosperous areas with significant cooling demands, such as the south-western United States. Using thermal energy storage systems, solar thermal operating periods can even be extended to meet base-load needs. [http://spider.iea.org/impagr/cip/pdf/issue36solarp.pdf]▼
▲For example, solar thermal power plants designed for solar-only generation (such as [[Nevada Solar One]]) are ideally matched to summer noon peak loads in prosperous areas with significant cooling demands, such as the south-western United States. Using thermal energy storage systems, solar thermal operating periods can even be extended to meet base-load needs. [http://spider.iea.org/impagr/cip/pdf/issue36solarp.pdf]
A variety of renewable energy sources used in combination can help to overcome intermittency. Stormy weather, bad for direct solar collection, is generally good for wind power and small hydropower plants; dry, sunny weather, bad for hydropower, is ideal for photovoltaics.[http://www.rmi.org/images/other/EnergySecurity/S83-08_FragileDomEnergy.pdf]
| |||