06-28-2016, 05:42 PM
The Inconstant Wind / Intermittent / Coal's Constancy / The Pique of Peak Power etc.
I don't agree with the central thesis of the poem (the future is in capacitors and renewables, the gods have spoken), but suspending disbelief, it's a nice read now.
EDIT: Lest I give the impression that I have a proper idea of the underlying technologies involved, I'll just say this: I only have a superficial, introductory engineering textbook understanding of them, coal and CCGT are boring. Efficiency improvements are all along the lines of better materials to withstand higher pressures and temperatures. Which is all good, but it's fundamentally the same old technology that was around in the 19th century. Solar is where all the action is these days.
What's exciting and smart will attract brainy researchers, and they will bring about change.
I don't agree with the central thesis of the poem (the future is in capacitors and renewables, the gods have spoken), but suspending disbelief, it's a nice read now.
EDIT: Lest I give the impression that I have a proper idea of the underlying technologies involved, I'll just say this: I only have a superficial, introductory engineering textbook understanding of them, coal and CCGT are boring. Efficiency improvements are all along the lines of better materials to withstand higher pressures and temperatures. Which is all good, but it's fundamentally the same old technology that was around in the 19th century. Solar is where all the action is these days.
What's exciting and smart will attract brainy researchers, and they will bring about change.
~ I think I just quoted myself - Achebe