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A new Australian National University study says long-duration pumped hydro on non-river sites, combined with batteries, can meet global energy storage needs. A new paper co-authored by Australian National University Prof. Andrew Blakers examines how long-duration pumped hydro energy stations (PHES) could provide 95% of global energy storage for the electricity industry, with the storage capacity of 2 trillion electric-vehicle batteries. These systems could be game changers for the world’s energy storage needs if combined with batteries. Blakers noted in a recent LinkedIn post that PHES systems last over 100 years, require no new dams on rivers, have minimal land and water requirements, and involve little mining. “PHES has far lower capital cost than batteries (which excel for short term storage). Together, PHES and batteries solve energy storage,” said Blakers. The paper – “Pumped hydro energy storage to support 100% renewable energy,” which was recently published in IOP Science – discusses the Global PHES Atlases developed by Australian National University. These atlases identify 0.8 million off-river (closed-loop) PHES sites with a combined 86 million GWh of storage potential, which is equivalent to about three years of current global electricity production. “Long-duration energy storage is required to support future solar-dominated energy systems,” said the researchers. “On a global basis, and for most regions, the PHES resource is two orders of magnitude larger than the likely future storage requirement of affluent, ‘electrified’ and decarbonized people. This means that energy planners can deploy large-scale solar and wind projects with confidence in the knowledge that there is at least one highly credible storage solution.” Off-river PHES sites identified in the Global PHES Atlases do not require expensive measures to cope with major floods or the need to dam more rivers. “These attributes mean that the cost estimates and perceptions developed for river-based hydroelectric systems generally do not apply to premium off-river PHES systems,” said the researchers. |
