Submitted by larsattacks94 t3_ycog36 in explainlikeimfive
lordofmemesoverlords t1_itp1sz6 wrote
Reply to comment by EscapeRich9091 in eli5: how long would power stay on if the power company abandoned their post? by larsattacks94
I think it's misleading to assume that wind and solar could potentially satisfy demand during the day.
Wind and solar account for respectively 5.3 and 2.7% in the world electricity mix.
We still live in a world powered by coal and gas (sadly).
Therefore, since 90% of the electricity production requires operator, the moment they abandon their post, production decreases very quickly and since solar and wind can't satisfy demand, the grid breaks down and you have a black out (which you can't repair without humans).
EscapeRich9091 t1_itrjayd wrote
What I said was:
> The main issue here is that even states where Solar and Wind dominate during the day
... which is specifically states like California in the US, not Global. I can't speak to the global grid because I have no knowledge. In CA 60-80% of daytime energy production can be Solar, so it dominates the grid behavior.
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