<
https://reneweconomy.com.au/australia-urgently-needs-long-duration-energy-storage-but-first-we-need-a-target/>
"Australia is in the midst of its energy transition, driven by state and
federal government targets and the urgent need to decarbonise, and is building
world-leading solar and wind capacity.
Current forecasts from the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research
Organisation (CSIRO) and the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) indicate
that as much as 95% of the National Energy Market (NEM) would need to come from
variable renewable energy (VRE) to meet Australia’s emission reduction goals by
2050.
Yet, without a strong backbone of long duration energy storage (LDES), which
can provide uninterrupted on-demand energy or heat for 8 hours or more, the
grid remains vulnerable to the volatility of weather, demand, and global energy
shocks.
LDES offers an unmatched opportunity to deliver reliable, clean power, heat, or
steam, boost regional jobs, and strengthen energy security in Australia.
The LDES Council recommends the Australian federal government implement the
following to ensure energy flexibility and resilience and become a renewable
superpower:
– Set a national target of 30 gigawatt (GW) of LDES by 2040. Australia needs to
determine a target for different flexibility scenarios, considering how much
power and low-carbon heat will be needed, and when it will it be required
ensuring industries and communities have reliable services.
– Update AEMO modelling frameworks to fully reflect the range of services LDES
provides in balancing the grid, as well as providing round-the-clock heat or
steam for industrial processes.
– Improve market access and regulatory certainty for LDES investments.
States are leading the charge. Victoria’s 6.3 GW storage target and New South
Wales’s 28GWh by 2034 are strong examples. Indeed, these are world-leading
policies which are attracting global interest and seeing international pioneers
in LDES technology invest in Australia.
However, it could be even better – the fragmented approach can lead to
inefficiencies, investor uncertainty, and uneven regional expansion into LDES.
The LDES Council recommends a federal LDES target of 30 GW by 2040. This sends
a powerful investment signal and provides the policy certainty that developers,
manufacturers, and investors need to scale up. State-level ambition is
essential, but without federal leadership, Australia cannot unlock the full
potential of its clean energy future."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
