The maintenance costs of pumped hydro storage are generally lower compared to many other energy storage solutions, particularly fossil-fuel-based power plants and some battery technologies.
Pumped Hydro Storage Maintenance Costs
- Fixed operation and maintenance (O&M) costs for pumped hydro range from about $1.90/kW-year (historical data from 1979 at Northfield Mountain facility, adjusted for inflation) up to around $18/kW-year in more recent estimates.
- Variable O&M costs are relatively low, about $0.51/MWh according to the 2022 NREL data.
- Facilities like Ludington and Taum Sauk storage plants show O&M costs around $2 to $5.64/kW-year, indicating consistency of relatively low maintenance expenses over time.
Comparison to Other Storage and Generation Technologies
- Fossil fuel plants have much higher O&M costs: for example, oil-fired plants showed about $12/kW-year and natural gas turbines about $15/kW-year in the year 2000 dollars, substantially higher than pumped hydro.
- While explicit O&M cost figures for battery storage are not included in the search results, battery systems typically have higher ongoing maintenance and replacement costs due to shorter lifespans and degradation over time compared with pumped hydro’s multi-decade lifespan.
Summary
| Technology | O&M Costs (approximate) |
|---|---|
| Pumped Hydro Storage | $1.90 to $18/kW-year (fixed) + $0.51/MWh variable |
| Oil-fired Power Plant | ~$12/kW-year |
| Natural Gas Turbine | ~$15/kW-year |
| Battery Storage (typical) | Generally higher due to replacement and degradation costs (exact figures vary widely) |
Pumped hydro storage offers a long lifespan and consequently lower per-year maintenance costs relative to fossil fuel plants and many other storage technologies. Its low fixed and variable O&M costs make it a cost-effective solution for large-scale energy storage over the long term.
Original article by NenPower, If reposted, please credit the source: https://nenpower.com/blog/how-do-the-maintenance-costs-of-pumped-hydro-storage-compare-to-other-energy-storage-solutions/
