Michael Daly
[H]ard|Gawd
- Joined
- Jan 6, 2007
- Messages
- 1,212
Batteries are pointless for power distribution. Batteries are for storing energy for later use. The US is in *constant* demand for power, peak hours being during the daytime. Storing up energy and releasing it into the system later on is not even worth it because we need constant energy right now..
No country has a constant demand. That's why many utilities, including those in many US states, have variable pricing and will give discounts to offset demand from high demand periods to low demand periods. Similarly, storing power in low demand periods for release in high demand will take supply when it's available to when it's needed. One of the techniques of shifting power from low demand to high is to pump water up into a hydro dam and release the water through the turbines during the day. Another is massive batteries like the ones in Japan. These are not theoretical solutions - these are currently in use in the real world.