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A zero-carbon, reliable and affordable energy future in Australia

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  • Lu, Bin
  • Blakers, Andrew
  • Stocks, Matthew
  • Cheng, Cheng
  • Nadolny, Anna

Abstract

Australia has one of the highest per capita consumption of energy and emissions of greenhouse gases in the world. It is also the global leader in rapid per capita annual deployment of new solar and wind energy, which is causing the country’s emissions to decline. Australia is located at low-moderate latitudes along with three quarters of the world’s population. These factors make the Australian experience globally significant. In this study, a fully decarbonised electricity system is modelled together with complete electrification of heating, transport and industry in Australia leading to an 80% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. An energy supply-demand balance is simulated based on long-term (10 years), high-resolution (half-hourly) meteorological and energy demand data. A significant feature of this model is that short-term off-river energy storage and distributed energy storage are utilised to support the large-scale integration of variable solar and wind energy. The results show that high levels of energy reliability and affordability can be effectively achieved through a synergy of flexible energy sources; interconnection of electricity grids over large areas; response from demand-side participation; and mass energy storage. This strategy could be a rapid and generic pathway towards zero-carbon energy futures within the Sunbelt.

Suggested Citation

  • Lu, Bin & Blakers, Andrew & Stocks, Matthew & Cheng, Cheng & Nadolny, Anna, 2021. "A zero-carbon, reliable and affordable energy future in Australia," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 220(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:energy:v:220:y:2021:i:c:s0360544220327857
    DOI: 10.1016/j.energy.2020.119678
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    1. Bojana Škrbić & Željko Đurišić, 2023. "Novel Planning Methodology for Spatially Optimized RES Development Which Minimizes Flexibility Requirements for Their Integration into the Power System," Energies, MDPI, vol. 16(7), pages 1-34, April.
    2. David Firnando Silalahi & Andrew Blakers & Bin Lu & Cheng Cheng, 2022. "Indonesia’s Vast Off-River Pumped Hydro Energy Storage Potential," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(9), pages 1-18, May.
    3. Uddin, Moslem & Mo, Huadong & Dong, Daoyi & Elsawah, Sondoss, 2023. "Techno-economic potential of multi-energy community microgrid: The perspective of Australia," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 219(P2).
    4. Khan, Anwar & Min, Jialin & Hassan Shah, Wasi Ul & Li, Qianwen & Sun, Chuanwang, 2024. "Efficacy of CO2 emission reduction strategies by countries pursuing energy efficiency, nuclear power, and renewable electricity," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 300(C).
    5. Lu, Bin & Blakers, Andrew & Stocks, Matthew & Do, Thang Nam, 2021. "Low-cost, low-emission 100% renewable electricity in Southeast Asia supported by pumped hydro storage," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 236(C).
    6. Gilmore, Nicholas & Koskinen, Ilpo & van Gennip, Domenique & Paget, Greta & Burr, Patrick A. & Obbard, Edward G. & Daiyan, Rahman & Sproul, Alistair & Kay, Merlinde & Lennon, Alison & Konstantinou, Ge, 2022. "Clean energy futures: An Australian based foresight study," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 260(C).
    7. David Firnando Silalahi & Andrew Blakers & Matthew Stocks & Bin Lu & Cheng Cheng & Liam Hayes, 2021. "Indonesia’s Vast Solar Energy Potential," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(17), pages 1-24, August.
    8. Nadolny, Anna & Cheng, Cheng & Lu, Bin & Blakers, Andrew & Stocks, Matthew, 2022. "Fully electrified land transport in 100% renewable electricity networks dominated by variable generation," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 182(C), pages 562-577.
    9. Bhattacharya, Subhadip & Banerjee, Rangan & Ramadesigan, Venkatasailanathan & Liebman, Ariel & Dargaville, Roger, 2024. "Bending the emission curve ― The role of renewables and nuclear power in achieving a net-zero power system in India," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 189(PA).
    10. Burke, Paul J. & Beck, Fiona J. & Aisbett, Emma & Baldwin, Kenneth G.H. & Stocks, Matthew & Pye, John & Venkataraman, Mahesh & Hunt, Janet & Bai, Xuemei, 2022. "Contributing to regional decarbonization: Australia's potential to supply zero-carbon commodities to the Asia-Pacific," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 248(C).
    11. Chu, Shunzhou & Sethuvenkatraman, Subbu & Goldsworthy, Mark & Yuan, Guofeng, 2022. "Techno-economic assessment of solar assisted precinct level heating systems with seasonal heat storage for Australian cities," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 201(P1), pages 841-853.

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