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Understanding Solar Energy

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261 points chmaynard | 3 comments | 20 Mar 25 12:09 UTC | HN request time: 0.713s | source
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rixed ◴[20 Mar 25 17:21 UTC] No.43426083[source]▶
There is also a risk factor to be considered before we decide to add massive energy storage within residential area. I've hear that one of the reason why the recent wildfires in LA had been so devastating was because the amount of available energy to fuel the fire (tanks, batteries) around modern homes is much larger than in the past.
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adrianN ◴[20 Mar 25 19:03 UTC] No.43427532[source]▶
A 40 kWh battery stores about as much energy as the bag of coal in your garage for the next barbecue.
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1. bryanlarsen ◴[20 Mar 25 19:24 UTC] No.43427763[source]▶
If you could efficiently extract the energy, which you can't. A typical coal plant is 33% efficient. You can get 100% efficiency converting the coal to heat, but a heat pump can convert that battery energy to heat at 300-500% efficiency.
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2. adrianN ◴[21 Mar 25 04:31 UTC] No.43431866[source]▶
For the purpose of "burn your house down", the energy is usually extracted fairly efficiently from both coal and a battery.
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3. pfdietz ◴[21 Mar 25 09:54 UTC] No.43433716[source]▶
And from the large amount of wood and other combustibles that make up the house and its contents.