Now, they are ways to address that problem, first are batteries. The problem with batteries that even the most efficient (Lithium) have "problems". In the case of Lithium it is how much lithium in the world, most of which is in China. Lithium is reusable but still a restriction as to electrical storage.
Recently I ran across an article on DU, talking about the increase efficiently of batteries and if the present trend continues a battery come 2030 will be able to hold as much as 10% of the power of the same weight of Gasoline (provided some wall is NOT hit by then, which is a real possibility, batteries have existed since the 1800s and thus NOT new technology as are the newer variations of Solar Panels):
My response to the thread on DU:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=115&topic_id=302335&mesg_id=302689The thread on DU:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=115x302335Another method of energy storage is NOT to use something doing times when power is in short supply, i.e. do NOT open the refrigerator's door at night or if you do there is enough cold air in the Refrigerator that it can wait till morning and the sun to refrigerate (Conserve energy during periods when energy from the sun is NOT available). Minimal lighting during the nighttime, cooking and working doing day time hours so to get the most benefit of the sun and solar power. Remember most solar system works even on cloudy days, they only stop working doing extreme darkness such as at night or during severe storms (and then during such storms only for a few hours at best).
Batteries are the weak link in any use of Solar (or wind) power. Energy inefficiency of Batteries, i.e. electricity into a battery vs what comes out, is the weakest like. In Lead base and most other batteries it runs about 25% (Lithium claims a much higher level of efficiency but I have NOT yet run across a source that clearly shows that to be true, just a lot of claims on the net, with many confusing the increase in efficiency of Lithium over Lead acid batteries with the actual efficiency of Lithium batteries, and a lot of cites clearly making that "Mistake" for their own betterment).
This is a set of confusion for traditionally Fuel Cells (at 50-60% electrical efficiency) and Fly Wheels (At 90% electrical efficiency). Fuel Cells was everyone's favorite device of the future prior to about 2002 when Lithium batteries became all the rage, but fly wheels have always been viewed as the best electrical storage device.
More on Fuel Cells:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Energy_storageMore on Fly Wheels
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flywheel_energy_storageMore on various types of Electricity storage devices:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Energy_storageAn alternative method of storage is to use the electrical power to pump water uphill, then when the sun is down to release the water to propel water turbines. Has the potential to store a lot of power for a long time period, but hard to use in something like an automobiles. This is used today by some large Utilities, excess energy produced by hard to start or stop Nuclear and Coal plants, is used to push the water uphill, when needed during peak hours the water is released and used to run water generators, which are the fastest electrical generators to turn off or on.
Another "solution" to the energy crunch is the proposal to use new technology on free flowing rivers (i.e. no dams). Such generators would NOT be able to "store" energy but could be a good source of base energy (For use by Industry and transportation).
http://www.hydroreform.org/sites/www.hydroreform.org/files/HRC%20In-river%20Hydrokinetic%20Projects%20FAQs.pdfSome Developers of such projects:
http://www.free-flow-power.com/http://www.hgenergy.com/http://verdantpower.com/These promise a lot of CHEAP electrical power for Commercial use as while as backup for Solar Power Residential use.
One last comment, the reason the Gasoline Engine won out over the Electrical Car by the 1920s was two fold, first was that more and more buyers of automobiles in the 1920s were people who lived in Rural America, who had no access to electricity till the rural electrification programs of the 1930s. Second was the greater amount of energy that can be stored in a gallon of Gasoline compared to lead acid batteries (A third restriction was that most homes that did have electrical service in the 1920s had 100 amp or less service, thus would take hours, if not days, to charge an electrical car, even today to decrease charging time would require a huge increase in Electrical amperage into people's home).
My point is energy storage is the weak point in regards to Solar Power, there are ways around that weak point (including just shutting down doing the night like out ancestors did).
One way to "store" electrical energy is to use that electricity to produce a carbon base form of energy (i.e. use electricity to convert crops into ethanol instead of using the actual energy from the crop itself, thus the ethanol is a method to store electrical power in a very compact package). I foresee this being the main use of ethanol for aircraft do to the need for aircraft to be as light as possible and gasoline and Ethanol offers the most power per weight of any substance other then nuclear power).
Side note: The US Air Force did test running a Nuclear generator on a B-36 bomber in the 1950s as the first step in using nuclear power in aircraft. No further research followed do to the extreme weight of the nuclear power device, you needed an aircraft as large as the B-36, which had six prop engines AND four jet engines, just to carry the device. Thus nuclear power is possible, but you would need something on the size of the 747 just to carry the nuclear device to provide the power to propel the plane, with no room for cargo or passengers. i.e. A nuclear plane would have to be so large it would make a 747 look puny in comparison AND would have to run 24 hours a day, seven day a week with a full load of passengers just to break even. The US Air Force did not think it could do that so cancelled the whole idea and today looking to bio-fuel as a fuel for its planes NOT nuclear energy.
Now the biggest use of energy in the US is transportation, mostly oil to move people to and from work AND to move goods around. This is over 50% of energy used in the US. A recent study determined that if the US was as energy efficient as Europe when it came to oil, we would be a net oil exporter (The US is still the #3 oil producer in the world, but has been in constant decline since 1970). People moving closer to where they work would reduce energy usage to a huge degree (In fact this was the norm for people prior to the 1950s and the US full embrace of Suburbia).
The problem with energy storage is most severe when it comes to transportation. Rail was heading for overhead electrical power source by 1900, but reversed and switched to conversion to diesel in the 1930s as the price of oil dropped (The rest of the world continued on the conversion of rail to electrical system, but the US ended up taking down the few electrical systems that did exist, leaving only AMTRAK using electrical power and then only in the Northeast).
It would be relatively easy to convert rail systems to over head electrical systems and given the potential for increase water, Solar and wind power provide power to such systems at minimal costs. The interstates can be converted to a similar system using overhead wires and hybrid trucks that had a pantograph to hook up to such overhead wires (and an internal control system to measure and charge for the electrical power used).
The biggest problem is non-major highways and residential streets. I do not think it would be cost effective to convert such roads to pantograph electrical system so some sort of electrical battery system would have to be employed. Such a system would eat up power, but if combined with the use of bicycles and increase mass transit (either LRV or trolley buses using overhead wires) would lead to a severe drop in oil consumption (and thus the need to oil). I do not see this occurring for another 20-30 years as people try everything else first but it makes the best use of electrical power when it comes to transportation especially as Solar with increase use of inflow water generation systems become our main source of energy.
Before you attack my comments on the need for people to move closer to where they work so as to minimize energy costs, I foresee this for the simple reason none of the proposed alternatives to Oil are good enough by themselves to provide the power we need to maintain the current US Social Structure. We are to dependent on oil for much of our life style for such a life style to survive any lost of access to oil no matter how much solar energy we produce over the next 20-30 years. Something has to give and that will be suburbia. Suburbia may come back in 40-50 years as we adjust to a non-oil dependent society but NOT in the foreseeable 20-30 year block of time. The fact that the US is dependent on oil for 50% of its energy use and most of that is in the form of transportation puts severe restrictions on what the US can adjust to in a short period of time (and by short period of time, I am saying 20-30 years is a short period of time).
For example it would take 10-20 years just to convert the Railroads to electrical systems and another 10-20 years to set up the interstate highway system for use with electrical overhead wires. Such projects take times. even if we would require anyone who replaces the tiles on his or her roof that the replacement be solar panels that would take 10-20 years (and no one is even suggesting such a rule of law).
Solar power will help the US make the adjustment away from oil over the next 20-30 years, but it will fall short of doing the job itself UNLESS we start to conserve energy and that requires increase use of Mass Transit and people moving closer to where their work. Batteries are the weak link in any energy future based on Solar, but with conservation can be minimized if and when most of the people of the US accept the need for change, unfortunately we are no where near to convincing most Americans that they must change their life style and until that most Americans accept that unpleasant fact all we can do is make what adjustments we can do (i.e. install the Solar Systems into our homes, move closer to work, use a bicycle as a replacement for out automobiles as much as possible etc).
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