Solar power and wind turbine power pump water to a high dam during the day with the excess electricity produced above base load and then at night the dam is used to produce hydro power in conjunction with the available wind.
The water drains out of the turbines into a lake in a closed loop to be stored till it can be pumped back up.
This is a way for the future for solar along with wind turbines and a way to store solar and wind energy by using the excess energy to pump water to a high point for release during the night in conjunction with the available wind power.
All that is required is a difference of say 100 metres for the water to fall into hydro turbines and some wind and the sun not to burn out but I think we will still have a few million - billion of years before that happens.
Now imagine this taking place on the outskirts of every city with a height variance of only 100 meters.
Say the variance is greater ?
Totally renewable and once built very few input costs.
Rain is a free bonus you might say for filling the reservoir as well as the lake. Evaporation is a loss to be considered.
Provides a constant base load power to the grid and at peak times the dam turbines would be used to supplement the energy produced by the Solar and wind methods.
Might take a bit of rare earths to make the permanent magnets.
We are nearly there and do not have to release more carbon into the atmosphere to get there.
Perhaps I am just a dreamer but who knows dreams do come true for some that are willing to take the initiative and think for a while about the problems we will surely encounter within 50 years.
Perhaps there is a company out there willing to embark on this as a future project as any price you charge for the electricity will of course be cheaper than the current models due to the inputs being virtually free and totally renewable and as for current production using Thermal Coal, LNG, Hydrocarbon Fuels, Nuclear and Hot Rocks etc etc they all have their drawbacks.
Maybe some will embark on this venture who knows.
I for one would invest and I believe there are a lot like me who would see it as a worthwhile project to invest in too.
