The role of pumped hydro storage in Australia’s energy transition

Pumped-hydro site

Carrillo Gantner Theatre
Sidney Myer Asia Centre
The University of Melbourne
Parkville VIC 3010

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Caitlin McGrane

caitlin.mcgrane@unimelb.edu.au

T: +61 3 9035 9458

How we generate energy tomorrow will be very different to the way we do today. Right now South Australia provides a glimpse of that future, leading the country in generation from renewable sources.

But the state’s energy system has its challenges. Large-scale energy storage is needed to stabilise the grid, so families and businesses receive reliable, affordable supplies of electricity on cloudy or windless days when renewables aren’t available.

That’s where pumped hydro can help. It’s like a giant battery, only with many more times the stored energy. With support from ARENA, consortium partners EnergyAustralia, Arup Group and the Melbourne Energy Institute, are investigating a pumped hydro project at Cultana in South Australia – using seawater, an approach applied only once before anywhere in the world.

At this seminar, results from the Cultana pumped hydro study will be made public for the first time. Consortium participants will provide an update on the project, followed by an expert panel discussion and audience Q&A.

Keynote speakers

Ivor Frischknecht, Chief Executive Officer, Australian Renewable Energy Agency
Catherine Tanna, Managing Director, EnergyAustralia

Panel

Dr Roger Dargaville, Honorary Fellow, The University of Melbourne and Senior Lecturer in Renewable Energy, Monash University
Julian Turecek, Head of Assets, EnergyAustralia
Dr J. Paul Rasmussen, Energy Leader, Arup Group

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