By Chris Baker, Founder and Director, Sunshine Hydro.
An International Government-led coalition calls for urgent action on pumped storage hydropower.
‘Get used to blackouts’ or risk reverting to fossil fuels is the warning unless the world scales up investment in water batteries to support fast-growing solar and wind power.
An International Government-led coalition calls for urgent action on pumped storage hydropower.
‘Get used to blackouts’ or risk reverting to fossil fuels is the warning, unless the world scales up investment in water batteries to support fast-growing solar and wind power.
This is the conclusion of the International Forum on Pumped Storage Hydropower, a grand coalition of 13 governments led by the U.S. Department of Energy, the International Hydropower Association (IHA) and involving more than 70 multilateral banks, research institutes, NGOs and public and private companies. The forum was co-chaired by Malcolm Turnbull, former Australian Prime Minister, and Kelly Speakes-Backman, Acting Assistant Secretary at the U.S. Department of Energy.
Mr Turnbull warned the lack of adequate long duration energy storage to support growing penetrations of solar and wind power is “the ignored crisis within the crisis”. As Prime Minister of Australia 2015-2018, he spearheaded the development of pumped storage hydropower (PSH) including the 2,000 MW Snowy 2.0 project and the Battery of the Nation initiative.
Sunshine Hydro technologies can provide the digital twin modelling to develop long duration pumped hydro storage projects that are viable. Combining 100% renewable energy supply from wind and solar together with pumped hydro storage and hydrogen production creates a Superhybrid energy ecosystem that is reliable and green. Such a Superhybrid can produce firm green energy and green hydrogen production. Output from such a project can run energy intensive industries such as aluminium smelters and server farms that require a continuous reliable supply of firm energy, and increasingly need that energy to be 100% renewable. Sunshine Hydro technologies can be used to design the kind of projects that meet the objectives of the forum.
Got more information including links to the report and a video link on launching the report and a panel discussion please go to the International HydroPower Association here.
