This is my comment to this article.
https://cleantechnica.com/2023/06/28/solar-will-reach-dominance-as-cheapest-source-of-electricity-in-world-dnv/
What the utilities failed to consider is the extremes in the variability of renewables. The utilities are unwilling to build a sizeable reserve into the system. They refuse to overbuild by a factor of 3 to 6 times, so that the valleys in the supply will be adequate during the times of least generation, like during the winter months. Then during the times of abundant generation they complain about having to constrain the excess generation but instead fail to view it as an opportunity to generate hydrogen for long-term storage underground where it can be used as fuel for the dual fuel gas turbines. But since burning hydrogen creates NOx, a GHG, the hydrogen will have to eventually power fuel cells.
Then the utilities fail to view the variability of renewables as an opportunity. They could be telling customers that the grid can’t guarantee 99+ percent electricity availability. The next dozen years will see a complete change to electric vehicles, so all customers should plan for V2H – vehicle to home – power during darkness. Utilities should integrate bidirectional chargers into the electrical systems of residences. The majority of EVs will use LMFP – lithium manganese iron phosphate – batteries, which are good for a million miles or more, so very little loss in capacity will be caused by V2H. Those who don’t have an EV can be powered by a BESS such as Tesla’s Powerwalls. All these will be paid for by the customers, financed by long term loans by the utilities. The technologies are already available for implementing the smart grid – the IoT will handle the heavy charging loads during daylight hours. It’s a matter of getting the utilities to make the changes.
