Solar is the cheapest form of electricity generation to build

[Lupus]

That are supposed to run on much cheaper natural gas. That above statement then should read diesel not gas.

An open cycle gas turbine is a combustion turbine plant fired by liquid fuel to turn a generator rotor that produces electricity. Liquid fuel which would unfortunately be diesel.

 

[Sinbad]

Except the installed capacity of a solar plant isn't quite the same as a fossil fuel plant is it?
For example, a fossil fuel plant has a 99.999% chance of providing power at the evening peak, whilst a solar plant does not.

Solar power can only really be effective if you can space out the plants 2 or 3 timezones to the east of the timezone that you want to supply with power. Then the evening peak can be powered by a part of the earth that still has sunlight

CSP.

 

[Joseph matane]

I think he means from a base-load perspective.

Let me ask you this ain't it possible to negotiate contract with Eskom under this condition
I have a farm that produce minimum of 1MW per day because is solar I will be able to produce energy during the day only and Eskom will use solar during the day
Grid tied solution just like net metering

 

[konfab]

CSP.

If it was so fantastic, then why doesn't the report in the article mention it?

 

[wingnut771]

Let me ask you this ain't it possible to negotiate contract with Eskom under this condition
I have a farm that produce minimum of 1MW per day because is solar I will be able to produce energy during the day only and Eskom will use solar during the day
Grid tied solution just like net metering

In theory yes. Good luck tho with all the red tape. I would also like to invest in solar and cover my property with panels and export power to earn an income now that I'm unemployed. Of the few cities that do offer feed in, the tariffs they pay are ridiculous, like 10c per unit. It kinda feels like they don't want you to do it. I'm still waiting for Durban to let this happen.

 

[konfab]

It actually doesn't matter which is the cheapest. The thing that matters is whether consumers will pay for the product or not.

 

[wingnut771]

If it was so fantastic, then why doesn't the report in the article mention it?

Report also mentions gas when there isn't any so I wouldn't it's an accurate report.

 

[wingnut771]

An open cycle gas turbine is a combustion turbine plant fired by liquid fuel to turn a generator rotor that produces electricity. Liquid fuel which would unfortunately be diesel.

Can it run on natural gas?

 

[Lupus]

Can it run on natural gas?

Can be modified to do so I'd imagine, but generally they run on liquid fuel at the moment.

 

[Sinbad]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1319581051904233472

 

[JustAsk]

Yea, and CRT Tv's are cheaper to build too. Enough with the horse schit.

...and for those who can't read. This propaganda piece is about cheaper TO BUILD, not cheaper TO USE. Two very different things.

Solar will never be cheaper to use, no matter how many sorcery you inject in figures. Industrialization needs coal,

 

[Johnatan56]

Can be modified to do so I'd imagine, but generally they run on liquid fuel at the moment.

Don't think it's viable in south Africa, in terms of cost.

Again, what is needed is a balanced mix of everything, these dumb arguments you and others bring up of baseload don't fit in a modern power grid.

 

[Lupus]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1319581051904233472

120 square kilometres for 10Gw? Yes that is a lot of production, but 120 Square kilometers?

Don't think it's viable in south Africa, in terms of cost.

Again, what is needed is a balanced mix of everything, these dumb arguments you and others bring up of baseload don't fit in a modern power grid.

Dumb arguments? You mean ones where wind and solar don't cover peak times? A good balance is needed yes, but you cannot rely on renewables, otherwise you'd need peaking power stations to pick up the load during peak periods, which are 6am to 9am and 6pm to 9pm, times when the sun doesn't really shine. Also wind isn't predictable and it can be seen in the daily figures from Eskom some days they can get a 1Mw of power from wind, some days barely a blip. A modern grid is the same as any grid, people still have peak times they do things. The only people who don't are people who work night shifts and their peaks will be early morning rather than early evening.

 

[LazyLion]

Does that include the storage batteries?

 

[konfab]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1319581051904233472

All fun and games till an army of emus goes and tramples the panels.

 

[Tanarri]

Solar will never be cheaper to use, no matter how many sorcery you inject in figures. Industrialization needs coal,

Too many tree huggers and propaganda. Too little actual math with proof that "solar is better." It's not. But let's not waste our breath on death ears.

 

[Lupus]

Too many tree huggers and propaganda. Too little actual math with proof that "solar is better." It's not. But let's not waste our breath on death ears.

They only look at the "carbon" emissions, forgetting the panels need to be made, shipped and such. Making panels batteries tax resources.

 

[LCBXX]

The arguments for solar reminds me of the arguments of a carb-foundation diet 3 decades ago.

 

[backstreetboy]

It'll continue to go down as well...

 

[hyperian]

Even if it wasn't "cheaper", the world's propensity to massively under-estimate the cost and timeframe of mega-projects makes it more cost effective. It's also just so much easier to hide corruption in R100 billion coal/nuclear projects than in multiple, independent R1 billion renewable ones. I get that renewables are unpredictable but I'd rather wrestle with the unpredictability of weather than the predicable outcome of gargantuan, singular power generation projects.