Re: Bet
Yes, why do you think that gas companies like Shell invest heavily in wind and solar to boost their fig-leaf credentials, while throwing mud at sensible alternatives such as Nuclear for decades..
Wind exists to create volatility, and volatility is incredibly profitable, especially if you're the one with the weather model and a fast gas turbine.
It's just not terribly good for keeping the lights on. But who cares about that eh? We get even MORE money when the lights flicker and we have to step in to "save the day"
Batteries are good for only one thing: Stabilising the grid frequency in the few seconds/minutes that it takes to spin up or slow down a big gas turbine in response to intermittent wind & solar, and getting paid £££££Dosh for doing so.
You are quite right to point out that they will Never, EVER be useful for bulk storage of the kind that could help us phase out gas, not even with unlimited natural resources and an order of magnitude increase in performance, and the oil companies know that too.
Biting the hand that feeds IT
