Hacker News Reader

If true, this is tragic: we should be encouraging solar + batteries.

We should be encouraging many things. More interconnects is the easy (technically if not politically) solution for making the most of the renewables.

Demand side changes are also powerful. E.g. instead of running dishwashers and washing machines at night, run them at noon.

Keeping in mind that energy storage can be kinetic potential, e.g raising water or rocks. A power utility would be a good aggregator for lots of smaller (household scale) inputs.

re: e.g. raising water or rocks.

I toldja the Flintstones were ahead of their time.

How about community-based production of stored ammonia ?

What could go wrong with toxic chemicals?

But yeah, lots of possibilities. Decentralized (neighborhood-sized) could go along with substations.

I get the feeling from HN discussions that if ammonia transfer could be made reliable & idiot-proof, and ammonia-fueled engines proliferate, it might work as a sort of sufficiently fungible energy-as-currency.

Someone tell me why this is totally dumb.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com