Summary
The Atlas of Pumped Hydro Energy Storage project will assess the potential for Short Term Off-River pumped hydro Energy Storage (STORES) to provide cost-effective storage on a large scale in Australia, supporting higher levels of renewable energy in the National Electricity Market and South West Interconnected System.
The study will also assess grid integration aspects of STORES and its potential to help address renewable energy grid integration issues.
Project innovation
The Atlas of Pumped Hydro Energy Storage study aims to produce a comprehensive, rank-ordered online atlas of the most prospective STORES sites in Australia, made publicly available on the Australian Renewable Energy Mapping Infrastructure (AREMI) website, and as a GIS data file. The study will also develop a costing tool allowing users to estimate the cost of developing a STORES system at an identified site.
The study will provide a detailed analysis of how STORES best integrate into grids to increase the amount of renewable energy, an analysis of potential environmental and water consumption impacts associated with STORES, and a comparison of STORES with other key energy storage technologies.
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Benefit
The study will facilitate improved knowledge about the potential for STORES as a low-cost, mass-storage option to increase the amount of variable solar and wind energy, and further facilitate the development of STORES projects.