I do about 6 marathons a month.
Oh, you thought I was running? …No, I am not that good. But I average about 10,000 steps a day.
Oh, you thought I would do it continuously? …No, no, no, just a few hours a day in minutes here and there.
Oh, you thought I do this every day? ….No, sorry, wrong again, not when the weather is bad or if I don’t feel like it.
This is how dilute and intermittent power sources like solar are hyped. Their sales tactics deliberately confuse power and energy.
They do have the power to run. You just don’t know when they will. When you average over a long time, they are leisurely walkers for a few hours a day, weather permitting. The average capacity factor for solar in Northwest Europe is about 10%. That means on average they are off ~21.5 hours a day.
I would prefer an ultra-runner like natural gas or nuclear, who can be on 24/7/365, powers my grid.
#energy #solarpower #windpower #nuclearpower #frac #shale #energytransition #greenenergy