Steven Hickey

Pumped hydro & batteries are gas-killers. Batteries are eating the high-value revenue streams for ancillary services and morning & evening peaks. Snowy 2.0 can capture much of the high-price market for overnight storage and a wet windless week. Gas generates 11 TWh per year in Australia’s National Electricity Market (only 5% of total gen). Capacity factor is low, but prices are high when operating. Snowy 2.0 has storage volume of 350 GWh (= 7,000,000 EV batteries) which is 85% of all Australian storage. Its capital cost ($34/kWh, 100-year lifetime) is 10X below batteries. On most days it could play with 5-10% of its water to displace overnight gas. Occasionally it can fully discharge over a wet & windless week when prices go high, and capture this lucrative gas market also. Theoretically, if operated 24/7 (pumping & generating), Snowy 2.0 could displace about two thirds of current gas generation. It will usually recharge when prices are low or negative. Building several more Class AA pumped hydro systems allows pumped hydro & batteries to eliminate gas from the NEM. There are 300 Class AA sites (size 50-500 GWh each) in southeast Australia. The image is a 500 GWh Class AA site near Araluen in NSW.

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107 Comments

It was great to be on-site at the Liddell Battery Energy Storage System recently with our partners at AGL, seeing firsthand the incredible work underway as we continue to work together to shape Australia's energy future. Today, I am pleased to share another milestone for Fluence and AGL: we have been selected to deliver the 500 MW / 2,000 MWh Tomago Battery Energy Storage System in Newcastle, New South Wales. This project is a major step for Australia’s energy transition and represents our largest ever storage transaction globally. With the Tomago system, Fluence will surpass 5 GWh of projects in Australia, an incredible achievement driven by the dedication of our team and our strong partnership with AGL. Featuring our Gridstack Pro™ product, the Tomago system will play a critical role in strengthening the grid, integrating more renewables, and supporting system reliability. Proud of our team and grateful for the continued trust and collaboration with AGL. More on this project: https://bit.ly/4ojDvpe #energystorage #batteries

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Excited to release our public grid-forming inverters white paper, that specifically addresses the application in Australia in the NEM and SWIS. Here in Australia, Tesla alone are expecting to have 4.5 GW of grid-forming inverters operating by the end of next year, and we expect that number to double again. It's an exciting time for the industry, with system operators globally managing the displacement of traditional synchronous generators with inverter based renewables and storage. It's through informed debate and collaboration, engineering design and testing, and a growing base of empirical evidence and experience, that the power system begins to rely on this technology to provide system strength services. Remember, the power system has relied on the electromagnetic coupling of synchronous generators to provide these essential services for almost 150 years, there's some inertia to overcome! At the link you'll also find an overview of the technology itself (first document) and the white paper (second document). Looking forward to some great debate on this issue as the technology becomes mainstream globally. https://lnkd.in/gdx-AAbK #tesla #renewables #batterystorage #AEMO

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Builders McNab has snared a 45 per cent shareholding in POWERSHIFT TECHNOLOGIES, a leading provider of mobile battery storage systems. The partnership will see Powershift’s advanced technology replacing McNab’s traditional noisy diesel generators with the next generation clean, quiet and rapidly deployable energy systems that reduces fuel use and emissions by up to 75 per cent. McNab chief executive Kunjan Ganatra says the investment reflects the company’s belief that Powershift’s technology represents the future of temporary power in commercial and industrial settings. Read more: https://bit.ly/4nJ445Y

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German retail giant ALDI Stores Australia is now offering residential solar and battery packages that include 6 kW of solar panels, a 5 kW hybrid inverter and a choice of either 10 kW or 20 kW of battery storage to customers along Australia’s east coast. The packages, delivered in conjunction with industry partner Tempo Group of Companies, are priced from $6,999 (USD 4,610), including installation. Read more: https://lnkd.in/dq6cMcNK #SolarEnergy #AustraliaSolar #RetailEnergy #CleanEnergy

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⚡️ Battery Breakthrough ⚡️ Australia’s investing $500 million to supercharge our battery industry, creating jobs, cutting emissions, and building resilience in our supply chains. This is about making batteries here at home from active materials, to cell manufacturing, to pack assembly. So we’re not just importing the future, we’re building it. Programs like this matter because they back Aussie innovation, help us hit net zero, and keep us competitive in the clean energy economy. More info on eligibility and how to apply here 👉 https://lnkd.in/gkndMv2G

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A First Nations community-led corporation located in Wellington, New South Wales, has secured a 5% equity stake in the $340 million Bulabul Battery, formerly known as the Wellington battery storage system, and in partnership with AMPYR Australia. #BatteryStorage #Australia #PVProjects

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Last week, Victoria’s big batteries reached a combined charging rate of 1,049 MW, becoming the first state in Australia to hit more than one gigawatt - that’s about the same as the average power use of 2.3 million homes. ⚡️🔋🏠 At the peak, batteries were soaking up roughly half of the state’s rooftop solar output, which was injecting more than 2.1 GW into the grid and accounted for more than 14 per cent of state demand.   Several of Victoria’s operational big batteries contributed to the record, including the Melbourne Renewable Energy Hub, Latrobe Valley, Rangebank, Koorangie, Victoria Big Battery and Hazelwood. 👉 Find out more: https://lnkd.in/gmUe8STX   #cleanenergyworksforAus #cleanenergy #renewables #largescalebatteries

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