Pumped Hydro

Lake Onslow, New Zealand, could become home to one of the world’s largest pumped-hydro storage facilities. A local consortium is now conducting a feasibility study and is investigating possible system designs and precise locations.

The Queensland government has committed $48 million to progress two pumped hydro projects in the state, declaring energy storage will play a critical role in its push towards a renewable energy future.

Japanese industrial heavyweight Sumitomo Corporation has declared a green hydrogen pilot plant to be built at resources giant Rio Tinto’s Yarwun alumina refinery near Gladstone in Queensland has the potential to shape the future of the heavy industry sector in Australia.

The town of Walpole on Western Australia’s southernmost tip will soon be powered by a pumped-hydro microgrid, a first for the state which is already renowned for its rollout of microgrids and distributed renewable solutions.

China’s largest state-owned grid operator and power utility plans to deploy the world’s biggest battery fleet and almost quadruple its pumped hydro storage by 2030, thus supporting the nation’s switch to renewable energy sources.

One of Southeast Asia’s biggest generators of renewable electricity, Thailand’s CK Power, is set to double in size over the next three years after announcing plans to add 2.8GW of new renewable electricity generation, including a ten-fold increase in its solar capacity.

Two of Australia’s most prominent energy players, Fortescue Future Industries and oil and gas giant Woodside Energy have been included on a shortlist of potential development partners for a proposed 600MW green hydrogen production and export facility planned for New Zealand’s South Island.

Renewable energy developer Genex Power has announced that construction of a bold engineering project that will transform a retired gold mine site in north Queensland into a 250 MW/2 GWh pumped hydro energy storage facility is now ahead of schedule with underground works having commenced.

A new underwater battery storage technology is coming from Netherlands-based Ocean Grazer to address the issue of offshore long-duration storage. The company’s Ocean Battery is touted as innovative yet simple, based on existing technology, and capable of enhancing marine life along the way.

According to Chinese researchers, using abandoned coal mine goaves for pumped hydro facilities in combination with large scale solar and wind is not only technically feasible but can also provide an efficiency of 82.8% in yearly operation cases. They applied the model to wind and solar-rich northwestern and southwestern China.