I wonder if we would even switch to some different way of electricity if we found a new better way to generate and use it but require making new infrastructure.
There are a bunch of different ways to generate electricity that we already know about.
The photovoltaic effect which is used in solar panels generates electricity from light. The thermoelectric effect which uses the temperature difference between the two faces of a a thermocouple to generate electricity. Electrochemistry can generate electricity from various chemicals such as in batteries.
The issue is that these methods don’t scale as well as just steam generators. Steam generators can reach up to 50% efficiency. So yea, unless we find a method that scales better and has higher efficiency we will keep using steam generators for a while.
if power electronics get a bit better than they are now, we could switch to DC power transmission and DC/DC converters instead of transformers. bunch of infrastructure could be replaced one by one, but benefit is slight except for already used undersea cables
but on generation side, it’s either photovoltaics or spin a magnet
AC also needs to deal with line resistance, and cheap, efficient multi-MW, multi-kV DC/DC converters aren’t there so far, but there are prototypes (and drop-in transformer replacements https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solid-state_transformer) Advantage is that these converters can be more efficient than transformers and you don’t have to deal with reactive current (if DC). Obvious downside is that frequency control isn’t there
I wonder if we would even switch to some different way of electricity if we found a new better way to generate and use it but require making new infrastructure.
There are a bunch of different ways to generate electricity that we already know about.
The photovoltaic effect which is used in solar panels generates electricity from light. The thermoelectric effect which uses the temperature difference between the two faces of a a thermocouple to generate electricity. Electrochemistry can generate electricity from various chemicals such as in batteries.
The issue is that these methods don’t scale as well as just steam generators. Steam generators can reach up to 50% efficiency. So yea, unless we find a method that scales better and has higher efficiency we will keep using steam generators for a while.
Can’t wait for cold fusion to replace regular nuclear reactors. Then we will be finally able to boil water like no one ever did before!
if power electronics get a bit better than they are now, we could switch to DC power transmission and DC/DC converters instead of transformers. bunch of infrastructure could be replaced one by one, but benefit is slight except for already used undersea cables
but on generation side, it’s either photovoltaics or spin a magnet
The problem with DC is line resistance. AC has to deal with line impedance, which is much easier on long distance transmission.
AC also needs to deal with line resistance, and cheap, efficient multi-MW, multi-kV DC/DC converters aren’t there so far, but there are prototypes (and drop-in transformer replacements https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solid-state_transformer) Advantage is that these converters can be more efficient than transformers and you don’t have to deal with reactive current (if DC). Obvious downside is that frequency control isn’t there