Lichtblick and Volkswagen To Build 'Swarm' Power Plants 327
Dr. Hok writes "As more and more renewable energy enters the grid, it gets increasingly difficult to match supply and demand 24/7. The answer of German power company Lichtblick and Volkswagen is a swarm of 100,000 flexible base-load generators. These fridge-sized CHP (Combined Heat and Power) generators that will be installed in people's basements in Hamburg starting early next year will feed electricity into the grid and the waste heat into their home's water/heating. The "ZuhauseKraftwerk" (HomePowerPlant) features a vanilla VW Golf natural-gas engine that generates 20kW electrical and 34 kW heat with an efficiency of 92%. The units are remotely controlled via a mobile network or DSL; they can ramp up in a minute if needed. A water tank ensures that heat is continuously available, while electricity is produced on demand. The swarm will replace two nuclear plants, they say. And your old oil heating needed replacement anyway."
Re:Uh? (Score:5, Funny)
Alternatively, instead of having hundreds of thousands of CO2 producing generators with the ability to rapidly ramp up and down production, you could have a few nice green nuclear power plants and ramp up and down the load instead (e.g. by using the excess power to do useful stuff like cracking water).
I guess I should buy stocks of every major paint company, just in case if someone really wanted to start building 'green nuclear power plants'. Wouldn't know of any other way to turn them 'green'
Well (Score:2, Funny)
That really gives new meaning to word 'botnet'
Imagine a 'swarm of power plants' controlled via DSL
Ah, and imagine a Beowulf cluster of... skip it
Re:Uh? (Score:4, Funny)
EVERY DAY IS ANGRY GERMAN DAY, SCHWEINEHUND!
Filter error: Don't use so many caps. It's like YELLING.
Re:Uh? (Score:5, Funny)
So, you're saying that if we all live in log cabins and drink from the same hole in the ground that we're crapping in, then there's no problem with relying on solar?
Heck, why not just live in caves and burn our own dung, like the Goddamn Belgians.
Re:Uh? (Score:0, Funny)
But the biggest question is still: If nuclear energy is such a safe and clean solution, why don't you want to allow Iran to use it?
But I want Iran to have a lot of nuclear energy. Released all at once over Tehran, Bushehr, Tabas, Chalus, Shiraz and Tabriz. Let's spread nuclear energy over the entire country!