Large Tesla Battery

Guess what 129 tiny MW/hr is small by electrical utility standards. A medium fossil powered unit would produce at least 250 MW every hour. In other words a 30 minute capacity on that battery.

Poole Plant Lee Vining CA. Pelton system 22 megawatts.

Horrible storm Feb 1985. Knocked power out to 2,700 homes in the Eastern Sierra.

HVT was isolated at Tom's place between Bishop, and Mammoth Lakes.

The Pelton could NOT support the 2,700 homes. SCE had to wait until the geothermal plant at the Long Valley Caldera came back on line. They synchronized. Mammoth Lakes got partially energized. Poole Plant synchronized then came on line.

Almost 45 megawatts. X 24 hours. = 990 mWh accumulated.

Why am I having trouble with the Australian math? Almost 10 times as many homes. A ridiculous fraction of the energy. Other than with rolling blackouts throttling credibility is in question here.

Excellent. Progress is being made.

agesilaus wrote:
Guess what 129 tiny MW/hr is small by electrical utility standards. A medium fossil powered unit would produce at least 250 MW every hour. In other words a 30 minute capacity on that battery.

Comparing a monster battery to a small or medium utility is simply comparing apples to oranges. Comparing this battery to other batteries might make more sense.

Bill.Satellite wrote:

agesilaus wrote:
Guess what 129 tiny MW/hr is small by electrical utility standards. A medium fossil powered unit would produce at least 250 MW every hour. In other words a 30 minute capacity on that battery.

Comparing a monster battery to a small or medium utility is simply comparing apples to oranges. Comparing this battery to other batteries might make more sense.

Not really they plan to use this on electrical utility lines a small 50 or 75 MWe combustion turbine running off natural gas would make vastly more sense. Indeed a very small 25 MWe combustion turbine would produce 350 MWe of power during the dark, no solar period, every day at much less cost. But we cannot expect economic good sense from the people who think this is anything but stupid.

agesilaus wrote:
But we cannot expect economic good sense from the people who think this is anything but stupid.

Does that mean stupid in the sense of making bigger batteries, or stupid in trying to fight GCC, or just currently stupid economically?

A system like this for a small very remote village makes sense. But for something tied to a major grid, they have a long way to go.

I agree, 2oldman, progress.

We need to start somewhere. Look at the first computers.
I'm sure a lot of people laughed at the Wright brothers when they were building that flying contraption. :)

I always thought using the tidal forces for power production was a great idea, but the half hour to hour long period when you reach high or low always was the problem. This could fix that by saving enough to cover that period. But then you have the problem of getting the enviro's to allow the tidal units to be built, most units large enough to work they claim will hurt something.