Disclaimer: this video is sponsored by Toyota.
storage is only a problem if the global distribution grid is not created. The sun is always shining somewhere, especially if you realize we can leverage space to extend our collection.
cranes are just stupid energy storage (the F=ma bit basically makes this a non-starter) . Water in pumped storage only works out in huge scale (where you have mountains to provide a massive storage pool).
compressed air storage misses the point, use just a little more energy and you can use that energy to thermally separate CO2 from air. (This is a productive use of energy but bad efficiency for storage)
hydrogen production from water is a productive use if we want to remove hydrocarbons from some chemical processes but it is not an efficient battery.
Thermal storage of energy is very inefficient and not a good idea unless you are willing to waste a good deal of available energy.
And flywheels are not even mentioned and very wrong information about Tesla power walls.
Is a global distribution grid even possible? Isn’t distance a huge problem when transporting energy?
Depends on what you mean by a huge problem.
If you are referring to energy loses due to the large distances and the electrical resistance of the wires carrying that power; you’ll discover those loses are directed related to current and that you can trade current for voltage and trade voltage for current; so we can avoid losses by upping the voltage.
If you are referring to the fact that the Earth’s crust is moving, we can have geologists do some work; estimate the distances spaces where we will be running our wires and put in sufficient slack to cover the time period until the next maintenance window.
If you are referring to weather event induced disruptions in the grid (wind/tornadoes/etc taking out power lines) then you build alternate paths to route around damage.
If you are referring to solar storms and coronal mass ejections, then you need standards in your equipment to deal with out of spec distribution lines.
All of which are technical problems and easy to solve.
If you are referring to the bureaucratic hellscape that is international coordination and cooperation, then yes that is the only huge problem preventing such a solution, despite its numerous global economic and environmental advantages.
I cannot upvote enough, I just heard distance is a problem and I needed a kind stranger (like you) to explain why that’s not a problem.
Got any references for me to read? I would like to learn more
There are a great many “promising” technologies in the pipeline, the real question is which of them actually suit our needs and only via real world trials will we discover the flaws and see if the benefits outweigh the flaws.
They’re doing a 300kWh install this year so hopefully that goes well
