Comment by Aachen
... aside from the physics? What factors into this cost calculation other than the physics of solar panels, batteries, and cables?
... aside from the physics? What factors into this cost calculation other than the physics of solar panels, batteries, and cables?
Infrastructure (heck, just the conversion points alone are a huge part of the cost), but also regulatory hurdles like getting rights-of-way. Running an HVDC line is quite expensive; last time I saw the numbers crunched, it was basically impossible to make it work financially, no matter how efficient the lines were.