601 asks:-
Why do we need to develop new technology when we have 22000 identified sites for pumped hydro.
Like you 601 I was initially very enthusiastic about pumped hydro to the extent I took, at my expense, a reporter and photographer from our local paper for a 90 minute flight and showed them a large number of suitable sites. They actually published a pretty reasonable article with photos.
Not long after I conducted that flight I happened to see an article announcing a CSIRO breakthrough where they developed a way to separating hydrogen and nitrogen cheaply and easily from ammonia. Initially my reaction was the same as for most people - 'So what!'
I decided to do more reading on the subject and came to realize the breakthrough could be the answer to universal clean energy.
Pumped hydro only partially solves the clean energy problem because it only makes electricity on site and although there are a lot of suitable sites, many places in Australia are too flat. Another problem in our area is evaporation - about 1 metre per year. Initial infrastructure is very expensive especially where both a new upper and lower dam has to be built. The two biggest problems are that electricity is only about 30% of the energy market and you can't ship electricity overseas.
Ammonia is cheap and easy to store. It can be made and stored wherever there is a good source of renewable energy. It has no losses while you wait to use it. It is easy and safe to transport by tankers or pipeline. It is a well understood mature industry with some 200 million tons being manufactured and distributed annually. It can be made using only clean energy. Hydrogen thanks to the CSIRO is easy to extract .This would occur near to where it was to be used. Hydrogen could provide 100% clean energy for all energy sectors.
Storing surplus energy from intermittent power sources such as wind and solar would stabilize the grid and solve the problem of providing power when sun and wind are absent.
Exporting Ammonia could fill the dollar income gap left when coal exports cease.In effect we would be selling our sun and wind.
Is all this easy to do? No. Are all the problems fully solved? No. However it is the way to go to give us 100% clean energy.
Never again should we accept half arsed solutions to problems such as we are now witnessing with the NBN and their dumb copper from the node leaving us with a second rate system.