Australia's infrastructure body has for the first time listed dispatchable energy storage and renewable energy zone expansion as "high priority initiatives" in its annual infrastructure priority list, published on Friday
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 26th February, 2021) Australia's infrastructure body has for the first time listed dispatchable energy storage and renewable energy zone expansion as "high priority initiatives" in its annual infrastructure priority list, published on Friday.
According to the document, Australia should prioritize large-scale projects "enabling or contributing to the transition to lower carbon-emission electricity generation and/or enabling access to reliable and cost-efficient energy."
The country's electricity market, which serves almost 90 percent of Australia's population, is expected to replace its retiring thermal generation facilities with new grid-scale renewable energy generators. This will require an expansion of existing renewable energy zones or the establishment of new ones for wind, solar and hydro. To support growing renewable energy generation, the market will need big investments in dispatchable energy storage.
"Introduction of new firming capacity will complement variable renewable energy sources and support the transition to the new electricity mix ... However, without sufficient dispatchable capacity, there is a risk of power outages and load shedding in the NEM [the National Electricity Market]," the document said.
The Australian Energy Market Operator, cited in the list, has set a goal for 26 gigawatts of new grid-scale renewables and 6-19 gigawatts of new dispatchable storage by 2040.
In the nearer term, within the next five years, Infrastructure Australia has added hydrogen infrastructure as a priority in the light of "growing interest in the production and use of green hydrogen as an energy source, as it produces no carbon emissions."
The Infrastructure Priority List outlines a comprehensive investment roadmap for Australia, offering opportunities for an estimated $59 billion of potential investments in infrastructure projects for the next 15 years. Apart from the energy transformation issues, the list also sets forward solutions to such challenges, as digitization, connectivity, service innovation and adaptability.
