Episode 12 - Sunshine Hydro's Pumped Hydro and Hydrogen Energy Storage Solution

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We have a lot of blindspots that prevent us from solving climate change, and this… this is a big one. Coal is a battery. A single piece of coal can store solar energy for 300 million years. Solar and wind can't store energy at all. That means they can't replace fossil fuels without a compatible storage capacity. While we've spent the last few decades building up wind and solar, we're lagging far behind on energy storage. Even worse, we keep saying "Solar is cheaper than coal" which is only half right. When you add in the energy storage to get us through the peak daytime hours and the low production nights, that cost adds up. We're a lot further from replacing fossil fuels than we believe, but we already have the solution.

Pumped hydro is our simplest energy storage option. It's CAPEX isn't cheap, but the OPEX is far better than fossil fuels. And when that battery is full, excess energy can be used to make hydrogen, methanol, and ammonia to fuel the rest of the energy transition.

I’m excited to present our guests today, Michael Myer, Executive Chairman, and Chris Baker, CTO, from Sunshine Hydro in Queensland, Australia. They’ve found innovative ways to create 24/7 renewable energy using pumped hydro and methanol.

For more on Sunshine Hydro, visit their website: sunshinehydro.com

Questions? Comments? Suggestions? Drop us a line on [e-mail]

Music in this episode provided by Artlist.io

Theme Song - The Best Thing by Paper Planes 00:38 - Busy Day Ahead by MooveKa 01:59 - Naos by Yotam Agam 10:12 - Silhouettes by Muted 13:37 - Always Hope by Tennessee Pistols 27:56 - Capriole by ANBR

Sound Effects by Pixabay: Striking Match, Match Sizzle 02, Power Down, and Turning Down Power Sound Effects by Pixabay Singing of birds and the sound of the stream. Sounds of nature. Sound Effect by Maksym Dudchyk on Pixabay Happy Memories Sound Effect by Samuel F. Johanns on Pixabay