PV Gap

Carla Said:

Utility Grid or Battery Bank For Large Scale?

We Answered:

40,000 homes is a utility grid but how do you plan to power the homes at night?

Electrical production in general has very limited storage capacity. Usually it is easier to simply turn off non baseline facilities and generate sufficient power with some "spinning reserve." Many solar thermal facilities have built into them some heat storage capacity that allows operation at night. Neither photovoltaics nor parabolic dish/stirling engine electrical production has any built in energy storage.

If you intend to supply power at night you will need additional production or some storage capacity.