Utility Scale Storage

Australia’s national science agency, the CSIRO, and the Australian Energy Market Operator have found even when factoring in additional ‘integration’ costs such as storage and new transmission infrastructure, solar and wind continue to be the cheapest sources of new-build electricity generation in Australia.

The Queensland government has today announced $22 million for detailed design and cost analysis for a new pumped hydro facility at Borumba Dam, west of the Sunshine Coast.

Australian technology company RayGen Resources has received funding to build a 3 MW/50 MWh ‘solar hydro’ power plant. Described by ARENA as the “first of a kind,” it is being lauded as one of the largest and lowest cost storage projects undertaken in the country. Energy giant AGL has also come onboard and will assess whether the technology would be suitable for its soon-to-retire Liddell facility.

It’s one thing to set a target for net zero, another to chart a course that will get you there in competitive form. Services are emerging to bridge the gap.

By understanding the challenges that impacted the solar industry, battery material manufacturers will be better equipped to scale next-generation technologies from the lab to have a real-world impact.

The Queensland Conservation Council has joined a chorus of voices calling on the State Government to abandon plans to rebuild the ageing Callide turbine after it was severely damaged by an explosion and fire, sparking the state’s worst power outage in decades.

Tesla has revealed it expects to spend more than $1 billion a year on raw materials from Australia for its batteries but the electric vehicles giant said the nation has the chance to secure a much more lucrative slice of the global supply chain as the world transitions to renewable energy.

The Institute for Energy Economics and Financial analysis (IEEFA) has published a report in which it points to seven key lessons energy planners the world over can take from South Australia’s extraordinary renewable energy integration. However, even South Australia, IEEFA’s model, still requires thoughtful planning and policy for the path forward.

Chief Executive of the Australian Renewable Energy Agency, Darren Miller, says he envisions a future where Australia will produce up to ten times more clean electricity than the country requires to become a “shining example of what is possible if you have the right ingredients and the right ambition.”

New data released by the CEC and confirmed by industry experience, shows investors have become shy of committing to large-scale renewable projects in Australia, where government intervention has created uncertainty, and grid risk is virtually impossible to quantify — even with a prized connection agreement in hand.