Healesville CoRE attended the Climate Change Innovation Marketplace on September 21st. The day was a great success with many attendees very interested in the the long term ideas Healesville CoRE has for the town. Some of these ideas included solar thermal collectors to act as large batteries and pumped hydro at Maroondah Dam. The team were excited to receive such positive feedback, and we’re equally excited to see these grand ideas being at the forefront of current Australian research.
Recent research from the ANU 100% Renewable Energy group has shown there are a great number of viable pumped hydro locations in Australia. The report authors state:
Victoria has 100 times more sites than needed to decarbonise the state electricity grid. Interestingly, there is a high concentration of these in the Eastern part of the state – close to many of the brown coal-fired power stations.
A map of the potential locations is available (centred on Healesville). It is clear not all of these locations will be viable for a range of reasons but it is exciting to see the potential options within 3777.
Similarly, the Climate Council has recently released the results of an Energy Storage poll. Over 52% of poll responders believe “large-scale storage, including batteries and hydro schemes, in combination with renewable energy sources like solar and wind can provide power on demand, 24/7” and a quarter remain undecided. With the planned developments in South Australia and greater visibility of solar thermal and pumped hydro options, Healesville CoRE feel these numbers can only increase.
It certainly is an exciting time to be involved in community renewable energy.
Did you know that solar panels can float on bodies of water now?
Fact: The cheapest form of new power generation is renewable