I expect it's just one of those odd coincidences that these two items
hit my inbox today.
It's true that solar energy isn't a big producer in the Arctic for the
30 days on either side of the winter solstice. And therefore, long-term
energy storage (weeks or even months) could be beneficial. Which is why
the Vermont article is interesting.
However, life does offer some other options, so we don't have to settle
for low-resilience singular solutions.
Most construction still doesn't scratch the surface of highly energy
efficient (conservation) construction, as exemplified by PassivHaus and
net-zero buildings demonstrate today. Factor-four and factor-five gains
in energy use reduction go back 20 and 30 years that I know of.
For winter energy production, co-generation has a lot of merits. You
need some heat energy anyway, so why not generate some electricity at
the same time to get double benefit from the energy production? And the
wind likely continues to blow even when it's dark outside. Seems to
work in Kotzebue (AK), Eva Creek (AK), Unalakleet (AK), and the Diavik
Diamond mine (NT), and the Glencore Raglan mine (QC), and Kodiak Island
(AK), and Finland, and ...
For long-term energy storage, why not take a serious look at flow
batteries which can generate 'charged' fluid (electrolyte) through the
summer (up to 23 hours a day in the Arctic), and then use that stored
fluid to generate electricity during the darker months? (e.g., see
https://www.smart-energy.com/industry-sectors/storage/the-vanadium-redox-flow-battery-a-game-changer-for-energy-storage-safety/)
Darryl McMahon
Freelance Project Manager (sustainable systems)
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https://cleantechnica.com/2019/12/22/coal-killing-long-duration-energy-storage-for-vermont-vermont/
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/solar-panels-north-explainer-1.5383281
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