New Zealand:
100% Renewable Electricity Grid Explored With Pumped Storage ‘battery’
The Government is taking a significant step toward its goal for 100% renewable electricity generation in a move that could be a game changer for consumers and the creation of a low-emissions economy, Energy & Resources Minister Megan Woods said.
The Government is investigating options to ‘green the grid’ as part of a new, transformative infrastructure plan for renewable energy to:
· enable widespread electrification of transport and industry;
· create thousands of jobs and;
· deliver more affordable power for New Zealanders.
The Government will fund a close examination of a key recommendation by the Interim Climate Change Committee; hydro schemes which pump water to manage peak demand, dry hydrological years, and the intermittency of renewable energy sources such as wind.
“If a business case stacks up pumped hydro would be a game changer for securing sustainable, cheaper, low-emissions electricity for the long term,” Megan Woods said.
“This would be transformative for our energy system, and we would no longer be reliant on fossil fuels for meeting our electricity demand.
“Pumped hydro moves water to an upper reservoir when there is surplus renewable energy generation and demand for electricity is low. It is released back down to a hydro power station to generate electricity when demand is high.
“It works like a battery because the stored energy in the water is released when it is used in the hydroelectric dam. This opens up huge possibilities for cheaper electricity and increased supply.
“The project could create thousands of jobs, make wholesale electricity cheaper in the long run, and it would decarbonise the grid as we wouldn’t have to rely on coal and gas to make electricity.
“Pumped hydro would also open up opportunities to electrify sectors across the economy, such as transport and industrial heat, as a lower electricity price would make it more competitive than fossil fuels.
...
https://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA2007/S00253/100-renewable-electricity-grid-explored-with-pumped-storage-battery.htm