The efficiency of pumped storage hydroelectricity (PSH) typically ranges between 70% and 90% depending on the source and specific facility characteristics. Most commonly, round-trip efficiencies are cited around 70% to 80%, with some reports indicating up to 87% or even 90% in ideal cases.
When compared to other long-duration energy storage technologies:
- Pumped storage efficiency (70-90%) generally exceeds that of many battery storage systems, which often have round-trip efficiencies between 50% and 80%.
- Utility-scale batteries can have slightly higher or comparable efficiencies to pumped storage in some cases, around 80% or slightly above, but pumped storage still remains highly competitive, especially for very large scale and long duration storage.
- Pumped storage is unique in its large capacity and duration, able to provide storage in the gigawatt and terawatt-hour range, which many battery technologies cannot economically achieve.
In summary, pumped storage offers one of the highest efficiencies among long-duration energy storage solutions, with typical round-trip efficiencies around 70-80%, and up to about 90% in the best cases. This efficiency, combined with its large-scale capacity and long operational life, makes pumped storage one of the most effective and widely used energy storage technologies globally.
Original article by NenPower, If reposted, please credit the source: https://nenpower.com/blog/how-does-the-efficiency-of-pumped-storage-compare-to-other-long-duration-energy-storage-technologies/
