Comments by "Colorme Dubious" (@colormedubious4747) on "California's Renewable Energy Problem" video.

  1. "Use energy to pump water up hill, this allows for rapid load following and controlled release" -- This technique is known as "pumped storage" and we already use it in a few locations. While not the same as pumped storage, the California and Colorado Aqueducts lift water over mountains and recapture some of the energy on the downhill side.
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  2. Wind and geothermal work whether the insolation (usable sunlight) is optimal or not. Not all batteries need to be electrochemical. You brought up hydro but didn't mention pumped storage, a technique we already use. If people have a problem with dams, let them demonstrate their commitment by giving up water. That ought to "flush out" the hypocrites! In all seriousness, there's no "silver bullet" and no One Big Solution for this. As you said, the key is diversification of sources. A lot of smaller-scale landfill gas recovery, waste heat recovery, waste-to-energy, and gas-fired power plants would supply adequate peaking in an environmentally acceptable manner.
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