Pumped hydro plant could unlock New England Renewable Energy Zone
Summary
The study will also inform the development of the Oven Mountain PHES project, which is supported by the NSW Governments Emerging Energy Program.The proposed Oven Mountain site is an ideal location for PHES due to its steep topography, high hydrological head and the short distance between two reservoirs. If built, the proposed PHES plant could provide system strength to the wind and solar farms in the New England area, provide rapid grid power response and meet requirements during peak demand.AEMOs draft 2020 Integrated System Plan forecasts Australias generation to be dominated by large-scale solar PV and wind by 2040, which requires new flexible and dispatchable technologies to ensure Australians have access to reliable electricity when and where it is needed. PHES can help to play a vital part with large amounts of storage capacity.ARENA CEO Darren Miller said this study will help to provide vital knowledge on the positive impacts pumped hydro can provide in the development of REZs.Pumped hydro projects like Oven Mountain can play a key role in the provision of firming up and balancing the grid as increased levels of variable renewable energy generation such as wind and solar come online.Renewable Energy Zones like New England are sunny and windy areas with natural renewable energy resources, but they may be in weak areas of the grid. Pumped hydro can provide system security services like frequency and voltage support and it can provide bulk energy storage to help meet the evening peak, he said.OMPS Director Dr Jeremy Moon said the New England REZ sits close to the border of NSW and Queensland, and its abundance of renewable resources places it strategically between the two states.Pumped hydro technology evolution can support Australias generation transition. With its natural high hydrological head over a distance of around two kilometres, the Oven Mountain site allows for highly responsive synchronous machines to provide grid stability services that have traditionally been provided by fossil fuel generation.We are excited for the opportunity to work with ARENA to demonstrate how pumped hydro can provide large scale storage and support the New England Renewable Energy Zone, networks, system security and increasing levels of low cost, dispatchable power, he said.Alinta Energy Executive Director of Merchant Energy Ken Woolley said what we really like about this project is its potential to pair with low cost renewables and help us deliver more affordable and reliable energy for our customers.