The Red Knight and the Dawn of the Solar Dragon (Encore)

Once upon a time, there were honest and friendly dragons who
heated the boilers for steam-powered electric turbines. But due
to the high cost of dragon energy, the King decided that the
dragons needed to be replaced, sparking a bloody dragon war that
led to the invention of solar power.

 True Solar Takeaways


Fossil fuel-based generators work by burning fossil fuels,
which boil water to high temperatures. The boiled, high-pressure
water produces steam that spins an electric turbine, generating
electricity.

Unionized labor dominates the energy industry, including
solar. 

 All utilities contract or own stand-by power plants
known as "spinning reserves" or "Peaker plants." Peaker plants
run 24/7 to provide backup power for when the grid is
overloaded--typically when it's a hot summer day and more homes
and buildings are using air conditioning.

Utilities, states, and kingdoms pay a significantly higher
price for Peaker Plant energy.

 The photovoltaic effect is how solar power is produced.
When sunlight shines on a special semiconductor material, the
sunlight excites electrons and creates a flow of electricity into
a direct current. 

Tandem perovskite solar cells are coming soon. They promise
higher solar cell efficiencies (more generated solar power) at a
lower price, but as of July 2023, they haven't been
commercialized yet.

Wind power is one of the least expensive forms of energy
today.

Lithium-iron-phosphate batteries are increasingly gaining
market share for backing up solar power. 

Energy wonks often refer to the cost of energy over time as
the "Levelized Cost of Energy" or LCOE. It allows them to compare
the total cost of a solar plant to, say, a gas or coal plant.
Today, solar has the lowest LCOE. 

Milanium is an imaginary rare-earth metal. However, solar and
clean energy is in great need of many rare-earth metals and
not-so-are minerals. These include silicon, the base element for
making solar cells for solar panels, and lithium for making
rechargeable batteries. 

For all the True Solar Takeaways in this dragon story, read
the episode notes of Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3.



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