A big battery in the backcountry. Before you start getting an image of a huge AA Eveready stuck somewhere between Alpine and Dulzura, there are more than one way to make a battery. Batteries simply store energy. That energy can be stored chemically, as it is with the AA's and AAA's we have in radios and other devices, but it can also be stored physically.
The city of San Diego and the local Water Authority are considering using the San Vicente reservoir and damming another reservoir as the batteries. The plan would be to use solar energy to pump water into the reservoirs during the day, when the sun is shining and also when energy use is off-peak. Then in the evening, when electricity demand goes up, the water would drain out and drive hydro-turbines. Pretty clever. Although there is a price to pay. There would be open space that would be flooded. And, though it seems to be a shining example of green energy, reservoirs for hydropower are a major source of greenhouse gasses. This plan would nonetheless be considered green energy, which the city has as part of its Climate Action Plan. There is more information in Ry Rivard's Environmental Report at Voice of San Diego. Thoughts? Is this a good solution to lowering our greenhouse gas emissions? Or are we fooling ourselves? Please comment below.
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December 2017
CategoriesAuthorPaul Hormick is the founder of South Park Climate Solutions. He sees climate change as one of our central concerns, for ecologies as well as societies. He holds a master's degree in Environmental Science and Policy from Johns Hopkins University |