Re: Solar Power

Thus spake Derek Moody <derek@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
In article <KI2$TVb$xMPGFw6v@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>, Oh No
<URL:mailto:NotI@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Thus spake Derek Moody <derek@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
In article <eAQTGTFfhdOGFwhP@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>, Oh No
<URL:mailto:NotI@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Thus spake Derek Moody <derek@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
The usual problem applies - abundant, unused, natural energy resources
situated far from population centres are all very well but waste much
of the power in (unavoidable) transmission losses.

Transmission losses are not huge - and I think most of the loss is and
stepping down the voltage to domestic. Capital cost of installing power

Linear to resistance - ie. to length of transmission line. Inverse square
to voltage if ac. Capacitance must be a large factor in sub land/sea lines
to and from offshore installations. Looks like -average- UK grid
transmission losses are in the 7-8% range but many of those are short hops
from stations local to consumers.

I think 6% is more normal, and as you say most of it is in the low
voltage short hops to consumers.

No - the bulk of the losses are in the long runs - the short hops skew the
resul to the low side.

Now you are contradicting yourself, and ignoring basic physics to boot.
Note that a 400kV power line has a voltage factor approaching 1740 more
than domestic supply, and that losses are inversely proportional to the
square of voltage. 10yds at domestic voltage equates to a loss roughly
equivalent to 17,000 miles at 400kV.

The value I quoted came from Wikipedia and referred
to pre 2000 so I'm reducing the confidence level.

They referred to 1998, and not to the voltages which would be used in
long distance transmission in the future. They also include transformer
losses. Read the Wiki article more carefully.

"The capital cost of electric power stations is so high, and electric
demand is so variable, that it is often cheaper to import some portion
of the variable load than to generate it locally."

"Long-distance transmission of electricity (thousands of miles) is cheap
and efficient, with costs of tenths of a cent per kilowatt-hour
(compared to annual averaged large producer costs of pennies per
kilowatt-hour, retail rates upwards of a dime per kilowatt-hour, and
multiples of retail for instantaneous suppliers at unpredicted highest
demand moments)."

Failure to cite your source properly does not hide the fact that your
source flatly contradicts what you say.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electricity_transmission


Regards

--
Charles Francis
moderator sci.physics.foundations.
substitute charles for NotI to email

--
Posted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com

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