korrents

What Austin Vernon thinks about batteries

@austin-vernon · 42 positions · 0 changes of mind

Engineer and investor who writes quantitative posts about how physical industries actually work — chemical plants, geothermal drilling, shipyards, thermal storage and the economics of low-volume manufacturing — at austinvernon.site.

Austin Vernon did not write this page.

We collected these quotes from things they published elsewhere, and every quote links to where it was said. They have no account here and have not endorsed this site. Quotes are word for word; the short line under each one is our own restatement, not their wording. Their own site. Is this you? Claim it or ask us to remove it. Or tell us what is wrong here.

3 dated positions, 2023 to 2024, in their own words. Our reading of what Austin Vernon has said — not written or endorsed by them.

3 positions so far — this page is not yet offered to search engines.

  1. Our readingA data centre powered by solar and batteries alone needs an array so oversized that the design is not worth building.

    Their wordsThe solar array sizes under these assumptions are prohibitively large.

    ↗How to Make Off Grid Data Centers Affordableaustinvernon.site 1st of 9 in this piece

    solardata centersdesign

    Interesting

  3. Our readingAn off-grid data centre can delete its uninterruptible power supplies entirely, because the battery bank outside already is one.

    Their wordsDeleting the UPSs could knock off ~$750/kW after considering equipment, installation, and square footage reduction.

    ↗How to Make Off Grid Data Centers Affordableaustinvernon.site 5th of 9 in this piece

    data centers

    Interesting
  4. 11 months earlier

  5. by

    Our readingCargo ships can be electrified with a cheap, heavy, low-performance battery, because carrying heavy things cheaply is the one thing ships are good at.

    Their wordsShips are great at carrying bulky and heavy stuff with minimal cost and energy usage. We need a battery chemistry that leans into that and sacrifices performance to reduce cost.

    ↗Why Battery Powered Cargo Ships are Compellingaustinvernon.site

    energy

    Interesting