Techno-economic assessment of long-duration energy storage technologies in Australia

The retirement of coal generators has significantly reduced system inertia in Australia’s National Electricity Market (NEM). Long Duration Energy Storage (LDES) offers a viable solution by supplying both sustained energy and inertia. However, the feasibility of deploying LDES in the Australian market is highly dependent on site-specific factors. To rigorously assess LDES applicability, this study conducts techno-economic assessment of various LDES technologies based on the systematic evaluation framework incorporating 11 key technical parameters, Levelised Cost of Storage (LCOS) and 4 environmental impact criteria. Results indicate that no single technology is universally optimal across all applications. The performance and viability of LDES are highly site-dependent and shaped by geographic, resource, and economic factors. As such, optimal technology selection requires a context-dependent approach to align storage characteristics with regional energy demands and location-specific constraints.