More than a half million pumped-hydro sites for a world of 100% renewables
A recent Australian National University study shows that newly developed geographic information system algorithms can identify prospective sites for off-river pumped hydro projects throughout the world. The researchers, who identified around 530,000 potential sites, said pumped-hydro installations could enable large-scale energy time-shifting, as well as a range of ancillary services such as frequency regulation, which could help to integrate high levels of PV and wind into electricity systems.
Gas, pumped hydro, coal upgrade win in Federal underwriting scheme, new coal not out of the picture
The Coalition government has shortlisted 12 projects that could be eligible for taxpayer underwriting, and allocated $10 million to study the best way to meet the demand of energy-intensive industries in north and central Queensland. While there is no new coal among the shortlisted projects, the feasibility study promises to examine whether a new coal plant is viable in Collinsville.
Pumped hydro to triple Australia’s storage capacity
A new study from the Australian National University shows that a series of pumped storage projects currently in the pipeline across five states could triple Australia’s electricity storage capacity, and pave the way for more solar and wind.
