Queensland election signals both major parties accept pumped hydro and the renewable energy transition as inevitable
- Written by Jamie Pittock, Professor, Fenner School of Environment & Society, Australian National University
Solar and wind have won the global energy race. They accounted for 80% of new global power capacity installed in 2023. In Australia, 99% of new capacity is wind or solar.
The Queensland election campaign suggests both sides of politics have embraced the renewable energy transition. But solar and wind are variable and need energy storage. That is where pumped hydro energy storage and batteries come in.
Both are off-the-shelf technologies. And both are already being used on a vast scale.
Having promised 80% renewable energy by 2035, the incumbent Labor government is committed to large pumped hydro systems at Borumba, on the Sunshine Coast, and Pioneer-Burdekin, near Mackay. The A$14.2 billion Borumba project appears to have support from both major parties. However, the Liberal National Party (LNP) says it will scrap the $12 billion Pioneer Burdekin project and the renewables target if elected.
While Pioneer-Burdekin is a very good site, there are good alternatives. The LNP says it “will investigate opportunities for smaller, more manageable pumped hydro projects”. Regardless, in supporting more pumped hydro storage and rejecting the federal Coalition’s nuclear power plans, the state LNP is accepting the renewable energy transformation as inevitable.
What is pumped hydro energy storage?
Pumped hydro systems store surplus electricity from solar and wind on sunny and windy days. The electricity is used to pump water from a lower reservoir to an upper reservoir. This water can later be released downhill though turbines to generate power when it’s needed.
Two potential premium 150 GWh bluefield pumped hydro energy storage systems near Tully.
Author provided/RE100
What about the rest of Australia?
Pumped storage and batteries keep the lights on during solar and wind energy droughts that occasionally occur in winter in southern Australia. They also meet evening peak demand.
The fossil fuel lobby argues gas is needed in the energy transition. But pumped hydro and battery storage eliminate the need for gas generators and their greenhouse gas emissions.
In the past decade, solar and wind generation in Australia’s National Electricity Market increased from 6% to 35%. Gas fell from 12% to 5%.
Most pumped hydro projects can be built off rivers. The same water is repeatedly transferred between the reservoirs. This means the system keeps running during droughts and avoids the impacts of new dams blocking rivers and flooding valleys.
The environmental and social impacts of off-river pumped hydro projects are much lower than for conventional hydropower or fossil fuel projects.
The system uses very common materials, primarily water, rock, concrete and steel. Very little land is flooded for off-river pumped hydro to support a 100% renewable energy system: about 3 square metres per person. Only about 3 litres of water per person per day is needed for the initial fill and to replace evaporation.
Sometimes, safely disposing of tunnel spoil is a challenge – as with mining (including for coal and battery metals). Any major new generation facility and its transmission lines may involve clearing and disturbing bushland. Local communities sometimes oppose pumped hydro developments.
In Australia, ANU identified 5,500 potential sites. Only one to two dozen are needed to enable the nation to be fully powered by renewables.
About a dozen pumped hydro projects are in detailed planning. Hydro Tasmania’s Battery of the Nation is proposed for Cethana. Other prominent projects include Oven Mountain, Central West, Upper Hunter Hydro and Burragorang in New South Wales.
You can expect to see more pumped hydro systems in a state near you.
Authors: Jamie Pittock, Professor, Fenner School of Environment & Society, Australian National University
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