EPECentre Seminar Series
The potential for pumped hydro energy storage in New Zealand
Presenter
Dr Dougal McQueen
Research Engineer, EPECentre, University of Canterbury
Time & Place
Tue, 21 May 2019, 5:30 pm
E14 Lecture Theatre, Engineering Core
All are welcome
Abstract
Pump Hydro Energy Storage (PHES) is the most cost effective mature energy storage technology, has low carbon emissions, a high energy storage to investment ratio and long plant lifespans. However, project development costs and risks are high with long development timeframes and numerous environmental impacts. An overview of the technology, summary of proposed projects, and results from a search for a variety of scheme types is presented. To support resource evaluation, a GIS based evolutionary algorithm is developed and used to find a quasi-optimal upper reservoir location for an open-loop scheme using Lake Roxburgh as the lower reservoir. The evolutionary algorithm is extended and demonstrated in the identification of reservoir locations for a closed-loop scheme.