TECHNOLOGY ECONOMICS
CLEAR COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE
Current cost estimates demonstrate competitive advantage against Li-ion and pumped hydro for 4, 8 and 12 hour storage durations.
And our path to lower capital costs and higher efficiencies will be delivered with -
Our planned increase of the upper end of the technology’s operating temperature range to 3000⁰ Celsius
Industry developments in supercritical and ultra-super critical turbine technology
Medium Duration Storage
250MW Power Plant 1000MW Hours of Storage
| LI-ION CSIRO# |
THERMAL Sunlands Co. TES Cells |
|
|---|---|---|
| Storage Duration (hrs) | 4 | 4 |
| Discharge duration per cycle (hrs) | 4 | 4 |
| Capital Cost ($m) | 446 | 300 |
| 30yr Capex ($m/MWh) | 0.45/0.81 | 0.3 |
| 30 Yr LCOS ($/MWh) | 219 - 250 | 80 - 136 |
Long Duration Storage
250MW Power Plant 1500MW to 2000 MW Hours of Storage
| LI-ION | PUMPED HYDRO | THERMAL | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CSIRO# | Case Study* (Mt. Kidston) |
CSIRO# (Excludes T&D) |
Sunlands Co. TES Cells | |
| Storage Duration (hrs) | 8 | 8 | 6 | 8 |
| Discharge duration per cycle (hrs) | 8 | 8 | 6 | 8 |
| Capital Cost ($m) | 891 | 924 | 581 | 350 |
| 30yr Capex ($m/MWh) | 0.44/0.81 | 0.46 | 0.39 | 0.17 |
| 30 Yr LCOS ($/MWh) | 210 - 242 | 121 - 161 | 106 - 145 | 46 - 103 |
Very Long Duration Storage
250MW Power Plant 3000MW Hours of Storage
| PUMPED HYDRO | THERMAL | |
|---|---|---|
| CSIRO# | Sunlands Co. TES Cells | |
| Storage Duration (hrs) | 12 | 12 |
| Discharge duration per cycle (hrs) | 12 | 12 |
| Capital Cost ($m) | 675 | 400 |
| 30yr Capex ($m/MWh) | 0.22 | 0.13 |
| 30 Yr LCOS ($/MWh) | 60 -101 | 35 - 92 |
| ASSUMPTIONS | Pumped Hydro | Sunlands Co. TES | Li-ion |
|---|---|---|---|
| RTE | 75% | 53% | 95% |
| Cycles per annum | 334 | 358 | 358 |
| DoD (% Nameplate) | N/A | 95% | 75% |
| End of life capacity (% Nameplate) | N/A | 100% | <70% |
CALCULATIONS
All capex in A$2021 dollars; capex includes replacement of Li-ion batteries at end of 15 year assumed life with 1.4% per annum capital cost reduction curve. LCOS comparisons adopt 30-year service period. Operation based on single cycle discharge.
SOURCES
# CSIRO: Graham, P., Hayward, J., Foster J. and Havas, L. 2021, GenCost 2020-21: Final report, Australia.
CSIRO: Graham, P., Hayward, J., Foster J. and Havas, L.2020, GenCost 2020-21: Consultation draft, Australia.
* Genex Power Limited: Kidston Pumped Storage Hydro Project: Financial Close Report, August 2021