The Hunter region of New South Wales has long been associated with coal. Now, a soon to be de-commissioned coal-fired power plant will be used to construct a brand new solar-hydro hybrid plant.
The Liddell coal-fired station site in the NSW Upper Hunter is reaching its end of life, and energy provider AGL has announced plans to build the renewable project on top of the facility. It will be built in tandem with energy company RayGen and run in conjunction with a battery storage facility, which will also be constructed on the site.
Best of all, the new power station will be able to use all of the transmission infrastructure that is in place, making it a smart investment for the region.
Joe James from the Hunter Joint Organisation (a peak body of 10 Hunter councils) said it was a major win for the region.
“It’s a great utilisation of existing strengths … to use the transmission networks that the Hunter has,” he said.
“It’s [also] a great market signal in terms of investment and reallocation of old industrial sites for new uses.”
Unique technologies that will power the solar-hydro hybrid plant
The plant will feature towers roughly the same size as football stadium lighting towers, housing solar panels that are 2000 times more powerful that standard household rooftop versions.
These arrays are used to heat up water in a reservoir to 90 degrees Celsius, while other reservoirs are kept at close to zero degrees. The system creates what is called a thermal gradient and the water is fed through a turbine, creating energy.
AGL and RayGen are using the same technology at a $27 million plant in north-western Victoria that will be located at Carwarp.
The Hunter’s grand plans to become 100 per cent renewable
This announcement is the latest for the region, with plans in place to turn the former coal powerhouse into a region that is 100 per cent powered by renewable energy.
A consortium has been put together to create “Hydrogen Valley”, which includes $2 billion in investment in wind and solar technology to power hydrogen electrolyers. This would not only provide energy to homes and businesses, but create feedstock for mining, transport and the industrial sector – effectively replacing the coal mining industry in the region.
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