In this webinar, Dr Bin Lu from the Australian National University (ANU) presents and discusses his research on how Southeast Asia can make use of short-term energy storage solutions to achieve a complete transition to renewable energy generation.
CLIMATE CHANGE IN SOUTHEAST ASIA PROGRAMME WEBINAR
Monday, 1 March 2021 — Dr Bin Lu, research fellow at the Australian National University’s Research School of Electrical, Energy and Materials Engineering, gave a presentation on his recent research on how Southeast Asia can address its rising energy demands and energy security concerns while transitioning to 100% renewable energy generation. The session was moderated by Dr Lee Poh Onn, Senior Fellow at the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute’s Regional Economic Studies Programme and Malaysia Studies Programme.
Dr Bin Lu began by highlighting the limitations of solar and wind power. While Southeast Asian countries can benefit from relatively abundant solar and wind resources, both are weather-dependent; as a result, their generation capacity fluctuates daily. Currently, fossil fuels make up for lapses in renewable energy generation. Yet, projected increases in energy demand will have lasting impacts on energy security, sustainability and health if Southeast Asia continues to depend heavily on fossil fuels.
He went on to point out that storage solutions for renewable-generated electricity are thus crucial to ensuring the reliability and sustainability of a 100% renewable energy future. Electricity must be converted into other forms, such as chemical energy, in order to be stored. Dr Bin Lu argued that Southeast Asia’s energy storage needs can be met with two short-term storage solutions, namely short-term off-river energy storage (STORES) and distributed energy storage (DES). STORES is a type of pumped-storage hydroelectricity system, where surplus energy is used to pump water from a lower elevation to a reservoir at a higher elevation. During high electrical demand, the stored water is released through turbines to supply electricity with the use of gravity. A DES system is a device for small-scale, short term energy storage that is connected to the grid.
STORES technology has multiple benefits. First, it need not be located on or near a natural water body such as a river or lake, minimising its water consumption and environmental impact. Second, the large altitude difference between the two reservoirs in a STORES system allows for greater storage potential. Third, it is currently the lowest cost solution for large scale energy storage in the global market (US$50-100/kwh). Fourth, the raw materials needed for STORES are in sufficient supply in Southeast Asia. Fifth, there are many potential sites for STORES systems in Southeast Asia. Through his research, Dr Bin Lu found that only 2% of these sites is needed to support the total energy demand in the region. On the other hand, DES systems can be connected to smart grids to aggregate their small-scale energy storage capacities and achieve greater storage potential.
These short-term energy solutions are suitable for Southeast Asian countries due to the relatively consistent high levels of solar radiation they experience. Therefore, they only require short-term storage across a few hours or days. Such storage solutions can replace fossil fuels in stabilising the provision of renewable energy as solar and wind capacity fluctuates, making them a key part of the renewable energy transition.
In addition, Dr Bin Lu carried out modelling studies for a hypothetical Asia-Pacific Super Grid scenario where Australia and Southeast Asia can be interconnected via undersea cables and where mainland Southeast Asia can be connected via overhead cables. He found that such a unified electricity market could reduce storage requirements by 50%-89% and double wind energy integration, in exchange for insignificant changes in cost.
During the Q&A session, Dr Bin Lu addressed questions relating to the technological and economic feasibility of undersea power cables for a regional grid, the environmental impact of STORES facilities and the role of regional and national governance in driving the renewable energy transition in Southeast Asia.
