Why pumped hydro?
Pumped hydro is a proven technology. Long duration pumped hydro has the scale, operational flexibility, and low energy costs necessary to ensure the ongoing security and reliability of supply for Queensland’s future clean electricity system with high levels of wind and solar generation.
Pumped hydro allows for renewable energy to be stored and dispatched at times when the sun isn’t shining and the wind isn’t blowing.
Rather than shifting energy between places – pumped hydro allows us to shift energy between times. This will become increasingly important as the share of renewables in Queensland’s energy system grows to continue to provide a stable and reliable energy system for Queensland.
Long duration pumped hydro assets are able to supply energy over a 24 hour period, or longer. Long duration pumped hydro stores energy while renewable generation is plentiful and discharges it when there is insufficient generation to meet demand. Long duration storage can also provide intra-day storage benefits, along with the ability to deal with extended solar and wind droughts.
There is a need for both pumped hydro and batteries in the future. Batteries play a role in providing an immediate response to changes in the power system. However, the scale and capacity of long duration pumped hydro is significantly greater than the biggest utility-scale batteries, enabling cost efficient delivery of electricity to consumers long after batteries have discharged.
