ACT and district pumped hydro energy storage (PHES) atlas

Abstract

The ACT has relatively few potential sites for pumped hydro energy storage (PHES) sites due to the large fraction of the territory's mountains that is occupied by Namadgi National Park. However, there are many good potential sites in the surrounding district. We found a total of 871 nearby potential sites with a combined energy storage potential that is about 200 times larger than the ACT & district share of the storage needed to support a 100% renewable electricity grid. The large number of nearby sites provides some confidence that there will be a good number of technically feasible PHES sites. These sites were found using algorithms with defined search criteria within a geographic information system (GIS) platform. This platform was used to find detailed information, such as head, reservoir areas, and storage capacity. This list is not yet exhaustive. We are also in the process of developing a cost model that will determine the least cost option for the tunnelling between two reservoirs, and therefore the location of the lower reservoir. Show more