Tasmania and clean energy go hand in hand.
We generate power using hydropower, or hydroelectricity. Electricity is generated mechanically through moving parts. Inside our generators, huge magnets are turned to create an electric current. The turbine is pushed by the force of the water. Click here to learn more about where our hydropower stations are located across Tasmania.
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Powering the Bass Strait Islands is a unique undertaking, different from our hydropower on mainland Tasmania. In the past, both King and Flinders Island had a heavy reliance on diesel generators for producing electricity. Tasmania’s roaring winds saw the addition of wind energy on the island, coupled with solar energy as well. The hybrid energy systems are adaptive to draw on natural energy when the wind is blowing and the sun is shining, with diesel becoming a back-up if needed.
Many other renewable energy sources exist across mainland Tasmania, including many windfarms in Central, Northern and North-West Tasmania. Wind-powered electricity has a similar generator to hydropower – a large magnet is turned – but instead of water, it is pushed by the wind.
The force to create hydropower energy is consistent, whereas wind power varies, and can also change direction quickly. To adjust, the wind turbines can measure and adjust the speed of the turbines, and turn the face of the turbine to face the direction of the wind for the highest generation.
The size of the generators also differs between our hydropower and wind power. The turbines at Gordon Power Station, for example, can generate 150 megawatts, whereas at Bluff Point Wind Farm, the turbines can generate 1.75 megawatts (but there are 37 wind turbines in the farm!)
Traditional hydropower is generated by storing water and running it downhill to spin a turbine. Pumped hydro adds a second storage of water into the equation. Once the water flows downhill and through the turbine, it reaches a second storage. The water then is pumped back uphill to re-use again for more generation of electricity. Pumped hydro, wind and solar power complement each other very well. When the wind is blowing and the sun is shining, but people aren't using much power (like in the middle of the day), the excess energy from wind and solar is used to pump the water back uphill. It would otherwise go to waste! There is currently no pumped hydro in Tasmania, but we have identified a preferred site at Lake Cethana in the state’s north west. It is one of the most cost effective projects currently proposed and would bring 750 MW of capacity to our hydropower system.