6 minute read
Pumped Hydro
Pumped Hydro Energy Storage
The United Kingdom and much of the rest of the world is set to switch en-masse to renewable means of generating electricity. However, while renewables are much better for the environment and a lot more cost effective than burning fossil fuels, they are inherently intermittent – you are quite literally at the mercy of nature. For example, if the wind slows, so does your ability to generate electricity.
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Many countries around the world are turning to batteries to store energy and release it back to the grid when there is a lull in generation, but it’s not the only energy storage solution out there. In fact, there’s an energy storage solution that’s been under our noses this whole time – with some of the earliest power stations in the world powered by this very element – water.
The world is now flipping the concept of a hydroelectric dam on its head, with pumped hydro energy storage. Essentially it works by allowing the dam to work in two directions – allowing water to flow through an inverter from the top reservoir to the bottom when power needs to be discharged, and reversing the flow by pumping that same water back up to the top when power needs to be stored.
Sunshine Hydro is one company that has been perfecting the process, with the company showcasing its tech in a country whose electricity grid earned notoriety when Tesla CEO Elon Musk offered to roll-out Megapack battery energy storage to try and stabilise it.
How Sunshine Hydro hopes to change the future
Our society is built on electricity. According to the Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences, coal supplies the majority of Australia’s electricity. A similar scenario is playing out all over the world.
We are all aware that coal-fired electricity is on borrowed time. The question is, how do we replace it consistently? With the closure of Australia’s largest coal-fired power station, Eraring, expected by mid-2025, and the relocation of another coal-fired power station, Loy Yang A, from 2035 to 2045, finding an answer to that question is now critical for Australians.
A major failure at Callide C4, one of Queensland’s largest coal-fired power stations, resulted in the loss of 2300 MW from the National Electricity Market (NEM) in May 2021, causing a price increase of more than 60% across four states. The Australian Financial Review reported a year later, on May 10, 2022, that more than 30% of Australia’s coal power capacity was offline “as the country’s ageing infrastructure requires regular maintenance and suffers unplanned outages.”
Sunshine Hydro’s Superhybrid renewables ecosystem is the result of six years of research and development and now provides a timely solution with its ability to generate firm green energy – 24/7 and 365 days per year – even when wind and solar activity is low.
A Superhybrid is a type of renewable energy power plant. To generate green energy, the model integrates multiple technologies such as wind, solar, and deep storage via pumped hydro. A typical Superhybrid can store 10 gigatonnes of energy, enough to power 600,000 homes for one day.
A Superhybrid generates green hydrogen in addition to green energy, providing additional investment in the future that is renewable energy. A typical Superhybrid can generate approximately 70 tonnes of green hydrogen per day, which is enough to decarbonise approximately 1000 long-distance heavy vehicles.
Sunshine Hydro’s proprietary artificial intelligence innovation, AESOP (Advanced Energy Storage Optimising Program), serves as a green asset performance management tool to manage the internal processes of these multiple technology inputs and outputs.
It can choose the best energy inputs and manage pumped hydro storage to meet contracted demand for green energy and green hydrogen while ‘keeping the lights on’ for industries and users who rely on a steady supply of green energy.
AESOP ensures that every electron generated is optimised and used to its full potential, taking into account physical environmental factors and contractual energy supply agreements. The program reassesses this and recalibrates, or re-optimises, the entire system on a five-minute cycle.
AESOP improves financial performance by optimising operational performance. This means that private projects that are waiting for government funding have a better chance of attracting private investment and starting sooner. Sunshine Hydro is positively disrupting the industry in this way because there are no losers. Existing pumped hydro facilities around the world are viewed as contenders to improve their performance through AESOP rather than competitors.
According to Michael Myer, Chairperson of Sunshine Hydro, “The combination of long-duration pumped hydro combined with the fast-acting response of PEM [proton exchange membrane] electrolyzers can provide grid services second to none.
“Even though renewable energy sources are variable, our proprietary software AESOP ensures that these services are available around the clock, every day of the year. Our contracted green energy will put downward pressure on electricity prices for the benefit of Queensland households, and AESOP helps deliver multiple robust revenue streams for investors.”
Sunshine Hydro begun construction on a $2.4 billion Superhybrid hydropower project near Miriam Vale within the Central Queensland Renewable Energy Zone in early May 2022, dubbed Djandori gung-I, which broadly translates to Spirit in the Water.
Djandori gung-I will provide reliable power to the grid while also producing green hydrogen, saving an estimated 4 million tonnes of carbon per year, or 2.5% of Queensland’s current annual carbon emissions.
The continued use of fossil fuels comes at a cost to our environment by exacerbating the effects of climate change. To acknowledge an unsustainable cycle of energy production and consumption, we need an affordable, dependable alternative. Sunshine Hydro was built from the ground up with the express purpose of meeting this pressing need.
Virtual Event 14 & 15 June 2023
With the electrical industry going through one of the biggest transitions in its entire history, Powered On Live will feature two days of in-depth presentations and panel discussions with industry leaders on the important topics that are on everyone’s minds. Whether it’s the momentous work that will need to be done to achieve net zero, or dealing with modern-day threats to the continuity of power, whether due to cyberattacks or extreme weather events, there is bound to be a topic for everyone. Those who register will be able to join in live and ask questions, but also watch all session recordings afterwards.
Platinum Sponsor
A 25 min speaking slot with Q&A on either Day 1 or Day 2 straight after the keynote A seat on a separate panel session. 40 mins. Logos on all our marketing material throughout the campaign – website, social media, emails Full delegate list of all registrations for both days after the event (GDPR Compliant) Speaker picture and bio on the website
Gold Sponsor
A 25 min speaking slot with Q&A on either Day 1 or Day 2 in the afternoon Logos on all our marketing material throughout the campaign – website, social media, emails Full delegate list of all registrations for both days after the event (GDPR Compliant) Speaker picture and bio on the website
