Richard Ha writes:
Our electric utility needs to match up its output with customer needs. Renewable sources of electricity such as wind and solar have short- and long-term problems with fluctuation. That’s why the utility needs to have electricity generation units on standby.
We are so fortunate here to have geothermal electricity, which is not only stable but is also cheaper than wind and solar, all things considered.
And we know that geothermal works in Iceland. In spite of that country’s recent economic crash caused by irresponsible bankers, Iceland is one of the highest-rated countries in the world in terms of quality of life issues.
From the Christian Science Monitor:
Hawaii confronts ‘green’ energy’s bugaboo: batteries
Hawaii and California utilities are moving to add storage on their grids to accommodate ‘green’ energy and better match production energy production and consumption. But storage is still expensive.
By Ken Silverstein, Contributor / May 11, 2014
Hawaii Electric Co. – no stranger to solar power – has a problem with the sun.
When it shines, so much energy from utility and home-based solar panels comes surging in that it can overload some circuits in the grid and, potentially, cause a power surge that damages home and office equipment. When the sun goes into hiding, the utility has to generate power from somewhere else. That’s why the utility is casting a net to find vendors that could supply it with the technology to store electricity….