Intermittency Of Renewables?… Not So Much

[wercal]

62. I believe elevating water is being used in Portugal right now

Another solution to intermittent problems is a better transmission system...so the wind doesn't have to necessarily be blowing near you....as long as its blowing somewhere.

Another (very inefficient) solution is using excess power to get hydrogen from water...and use the hydrogen as a fuel source when the wind stops blowing or its a cloudy day.

The pressurized air is intriguing. There are massive caverns cut out of salt deposits near Hutchinson, Kansas...and much of the region's natural gas supply is stored there (when you hear reports ahead of winter about 'gas supplies'...the report is referring to storage facilities like this). Its tremendously more cost efficient than building steel tanks or something similar. So I could see compressed air being stored in a similar situation...and maybe the heat let off during compression could be recaptured.

Or we could use every parked car, letting the air out of the tires to turn an impeller, but only use a little of it, and quickly air the tire back up. Oh wait...