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According to industry engineers, those who support the rapid transition to Net Zero do not explain the actual limits of battery storage that would underpin the feasibility of Net Zero Push.
Nick Castelstein, senior mechanical engineer at GPA Engineering, said media reports couldn’t inform the public about the nature of Australia’s energy demand, arguing that the debate was oversimplified. ..
“There is this problem of generating electricity when the sun is shining or when the wind is blowing, and we need to store it somewhere and pull it out later. But the amount of such storage is enormous. And it’s absolutely huge, “he told The Epoch Times.
Kastelstein said lithium-ion batteries played a role in intervening in the event of a network failure, but were inadequate from a pure storage and “verification” standpoint.
He pointed out the Hornsdale power reserve built by Tesla in South Australia, the world’s largest renewable battery when it was built in 2017.
“For example, a battery in Hornsdale, South Australia, when you look at the state’s power supply curve, you can hardly even tell what the battery is doing,” he said. “The kind of high-capacity storage we need for renewable resources isn’t going to reduce it. Anyone who is realistic knows it.”
“Battery technology has changed and improved over the years, and it’s getting better and better,” he added. “But they still have a fairly low level of” technical readiness “. “
Today, even Florida’s FPL Manatey Energy Storage Center, one of the world’s largest battery systems, is estimated to be able to power approximately 329,000 households in just two hours.
Net-Zero Push in progress in Australia
Over the past few weeks, Australia’s Energy Minister Chris Bowen and Australia’s Energy Market Operator (AEMO) have called for increased investment in battery storage as part of the country’s push towards net zero.
Under the Labor government, Australia aims to reduce emissions by 43% from its previous target of 26-28% by 2030 and reach net zero by 2050.
The government will also attempt to overhaul the energy grid so that by 2030, 82% of electricity will come from renewable energy sources. As of December 2021, approximately 64.67% of Australia’s electricity generation comes from coal-fired power plants.
Bowen blamed the lack of investment in storage for Australia’s recent energy problems, including rising electricity and gas prices.
“Yes, the wind doesn’t always blow and the sun doesn’t always shine. Well, it doesn’t rain, but we were able to store water,” he said on June 16. I told the group. Ten years. That is the problem. “
AEMO’s new 30-year electricity market roadmap will shut down about 60% of coal-fired generators by 2030 to increase investment in renewable energy while meeting the growing population’s electricity demand. We aim to (demand is doubled) by 2050.
“To maintain a safe, reliable and affordable power supply for consumers through this transition to 2050, we have increased grid-scale wind and solar capacity by a factor of nine and fixed capacity (dispatchable storage,). Investing to triple (hydraulic and gas-fired) is needed. AEMO CEO Daniel Westerman said: statement..
However, Castelstein said the energy debate was simplified to measure how much renewable energy contributed to the power grid.
“Of all the energy, electricity is only 20 to 25 percent of our consumption. The remaining 75 to 80 percent of the energy we consume is coal and gas in industrial processes, household and commercial. It’s due to the direct use of gas, and the big liquid fuels for automobiles, “he said.
“Eighty percent of our energy usage as a country is non-renewable. And as a country, we export twice as much as we use. Therefore, from our total energy output, Solar and wind account for only 0.8%. “
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Daniel Y. Teng is based in Sydney. He focuses on national politics, including federal politics, COVID-19 response, and relations between Australia and China. Do you have a hint? Contact him at [email protected].
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