Letter to the editor: March 20, 2023
Worldwide electrical grid isn't feasible
Recent Daily Telegram and Monroe News articles promote the idea of a worldwide electrical grid using solar energy to allow total greening of electricity production because the sun is always shining somewhere and a worldwide grid would allow electricity generated where sunshine is available to be moved to areas where it isn't by moving electricity over long distances using high voltage direct current (HVDC).
Worldwide electrical grid thinkers/dreamers have a wonderful idea, problem is that it's not feasible. The Pacific Ocean covers one-third of Earth's surface, and solar panels can't be hung on skyhooks over the Pacific Ocean therefore NO electricity generated for approximately 8 hours every day. Similar problem with NO solar panels hanging on skyhooks over the Atlantic Ocean therefore no electricity generation for approximately 3 hours every day. People expect to have electricity available 24/7 and not just when the sun is above land.
Moving electricity over thousands of miles using HVDC isn't free. Ohm's Law comes into play resulting in power losses due to resistance in cables/overhead lines. The longer the cables/overhead lines the greater the power loss. HVDC is a better choice for power transmission over 400-500 miles, however below this distance high voltage alternating current (HVAC) is more economical than HVDC, per electricaltechnology.org. Power plants generating HVAC are generally located less than 100 miles from large metropolitan areas, therefore HVDC isn't cost effective.
Those who promote only solar to electrify the world don't understand the ever-changing electrical demand vs. generation required to maintain a stable electrical grid. California has a summertime peak load of 56,200 megawatts from 3 to 7 p.m. It would take approximately 200,000,000 solar panels sitting on approximately 355,000 acres to generate 56,200 megawatts on a sunny day with NO clouds, NO rain and NO fog. If there's inclement weather – do you see a problem? At the beginning of the 3 p.m. summertime peak load, the sun has already moved out over the Pacific Ocean and solar panel electrical generation is decreasing as the sun moves westward. A worldwide grid isn't going to get California or the other 47 states any additional solar generated electricity from the north, south, east or west – it's brownout/blackout time! Don't plan on storage batteries, the Moss Landing Power Station in Monterey, California, has the largest grid storage battery system in the world that can produce 1600 megawatt hours or 56,200 megawatts for 1.7 minutes!
Richard Steckmeyer
Monroe
This article originally appeared on The Daily Telegram: Letter to the editor: March 20, 2023
