From the the JoNova
Australian climate science
website, the best skeptic
website in the world this year:
http://joannenova.com.au/
Link to the original article:
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Note
"Pumped hydro"
is a very expensive
way to store solar
(or wind) energy
that is obtained
during the day,
by using it to pump
water up to
a higher elevation
reservoir ... and then
letting the water
flow downhill,
from gravity, to a
lower elevation reservoir
to spin turbines and
generate electric power
after sunset, or when
the wind stops blowing.
Australia has seven
pumped storage
"power plants"
up to 65 years old.
The newest is Tumut,
at 47 years old !
The only way for Snowy 2,0
to make a profit is to use
cheap coal energy to pump
the water uphill at night,
and use the downhill
water flow to generate
electricity during
peak use (and price)
hours.
This is my summary,
using direct quotes:
"Snowy 2.0,
twice the cost,
half the value,
wastes a quarter
of the energy,
and wrecks the
environment."
"The Snowy
2.0 Scheme
is a $10 billion
bandaid
... a hydro storage ...
anti-generator
that destroys
20-30% of
the electricity
fed into it."
" ... It is already
being superceded by
new battery technology,
and will scar the land,
infect pristine alpine lakes,
risk critically endangered
species, damage fishing
grounds, and breach the
Biosecurity Act in a
National park."
" ... there has been only one
other (Australian) pumped
hydro project “committed”
(planned) in the last 20 years".
" ... Energy Market Operator.
AEMO forecasts Snowy 2.0
to be largely idle before 2033,
as the existing 1,800 megawatt
Tumut 3 pumped hydro station
can provide most of the
forecast output from
both stations until then.
Also, AEMO forecasts
Snowy 2.0 would never
attain the maximum
annual output estimate
in the business case."
"Not only has
output been
over-estimated by
100 per cent, (but)
Snowy 2.0 is not
urgent or critical
for the transition to
renewable energy,
nor itself “renewable”.
" ... The financial and
technical flaws of Snowy 2.0
are reason enough to halt
the project.
An equally compelling
reason is the recently
revealed magnitude
of damage to Kosciuszko
National Park."
"The Snowy Hydro 2.0
proposal has “money”
written all over it."
"(There are even)
"some die-hard renewables
advocates who think this
is a bridge too far."
"Roger Andrews at Energy
Matters details the pitiful
contribution Snowy 2.0
would make to shore up
the unreliable nightmare
of our renewables future.
To support
a 100% renewable
electricity sector, Australia
will need approximately
10 terawatt-hours of
long-term energy storage.
The multi-billion-dollar
Snowy 2.0 pumped hydro
project will supply only 0.35
terawatt-hours, ..."
