Ancient Queensland salt caverns could become Australia’s clean-energy backbone
TL;DR Summary
Geoscience Australia’s $31 million drilling of the Adavale Basin in outback Queensland identifies the Boree Salt deposit as thick enough to form underground caverns by dissolving salt, creating a storage space for hydrogen (or compressed air). This geological-scale energy reserve could store around 6,000 tonnes of hydrogen per cavern (~100 GWh), potentially powering tens of millions of homes for a day with a handful of caverns, complementing intermittent renewables.
- Salt deposit older than dinosaurs may shape Australia’s energy future Interesting Engineering
- Underground 'battery' deep in the outback could power millions of homes Australian Broadcasting Corporation
- A salt deposit older than the dinosaurs could become a giant "super battery" and store enough energy to power up to 20 million homes for a day. CPG Click Petróleo e Gás
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