Out Of Thin Air: Solving The Dilemma Of Long-Duration Storage
The title of this post, is the same as that of this excellent article on the Australian Financial Review.
This is the sub-heading.
Two first-of-a-kind technologies in Australia are firming up as options to crack the tough nut of energy storage that lasts much longer than batteries.
This is the first paragraph.
Two competing technologies that use different forms of air to store energy are emerging as potential solutions for the thorny problem of long-duration storage needed to smooth out Australia’s bumpy transition to low-carbon energy.
The article then compares the two competing technologies.
- Hydrostor of Canada are developing the 200 MW/1600 MWh Silver City Energy Storage Centre at Broken Hill in New South Wales.
- Highview Power of the UK are proposing a 12-hour energy store for the Northern Territory.
Australia certainly has plenty of solar power to fill the energy storage.
Rio Tinto Punts On British Start-Up To Plug Renewables Gap
The title of this post is the same as that of this article on the Australian Financial Review.
The article is a must-read and these are a few points.
- Highview is readying to take a big punt on the Australian market, with Rio Tinto and the Northern Territory government shaping up as potential customers.
- Highview is very committed to Australia. We think Australia can be as big as the UK for us, given their ambitions,
- Highview is working on concepts with Rio Tinto. And separate from Rio, we are well advanced in the Northern Territory with the government there to provide a solution to decarbonise the power grid.
- The process uses existing hardware from the gas industry, and the plant’s life should be at least 40 years – five times longer than a battery.
- Highview could replace fossil-fuel gas plants in situ, and could also be an alternative to the more complex and capital-intensive option of pumped hydro.
- Highview already had staff operating in Brisbane.
- Highview was negotiating the long-term contract with the government in Darwin, and had engaged Australian banks to start testing the market for a local fundraising.
- In Britain, Highview hopes to be putting four 2.5-gigawatt assets into planning this year – one in Scotland, three with Orsted in England.
As I said, the article is a must-read and it proves to me that Highview is on its way.
Another Aussie Green Hydrogen Hub In The Works As Total Eren Eyes 1GW Darwin Project
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on Recharge.
These two paragraphs introduce the project.
Developer Total Eren is sizing up the potential for a 1GW green hydrogen project in Australia’s Northern Territory (NT), taking the total capacity of green H2 projects under development in the state to 13.8GW.
A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), signed between Total Eren and the NT state government on Monday, will see the two work together to progress the project, dubbed the Darwin H2 Hub.
This paragraph gives a few numbers.
Plans for the scheme comprise more than 2GW of solar PV generation, which will power a 1GW electrolyser. The project aims to produce 80,000 tonnes of hydrogen a year, equivalent to around 4% of the 1.96 million tonnes of green H2 South Korea expects to import from overseas by 2030.
Note.
- Australia seems to be the place to develop large hydrogen and energy projects.
- South Korea will beat a path to your door, if you have the capacity to create millions of tonnes of green hydrogen.
The article finishes with a good summary of the future prospects of Australia’s green hydrogen industry.
I believe that Australia could become a world superpower, as it will certainly provide zero-carbon power to a good proportion of South East Asia.
The Anonymous Widower 