The Battery of the Nation initiative is investigating and developing a pathway of future development opportunities for Tasmania to make a greater contribution to the National Energy Market (NEM).
Project extract
Potential development of new pumped hydro energy storage (pumped hydro) projects in Tasmania could play an important role in supporting the National Electricity Market (NEM) transition to variable low emissions sources of generation. With the forecast increase of variable, renewable energy penetration into the NEM, the system support and energy security provided by additional hydropower capacity and energy storage would assist in achieving a secure, reliable future grid.
While significant investment is being made in new technologies such as grid scale batteries and solar thermal projects, pumped hydro remains the only viable technology for longer term storage (greater than eight hours).
Future energy markets in Australia will value the services needed by the system operators to help manage the variability of the major generation sources. The magnitude and type of those services will depend on the characteristics of each region, particularly with reference to the need for short term versus longer term firming. Energy storage of various forms is expected to play a major role in the provision of these services.
To understand the potential for pumped hydro in Tasmania, a concept study assessing project options has been completed by Hydro Tasmania (this study). This study received funding from the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) as part of ARENA’s Advancing Renewables Program.