The main benefits of using pumped hydro storage with renewable energy sources are:
- Energy Balancing and Grid Stability: Pumped hydro storage can rapidly respond to changes in electrical load within seconds, providing stability and balancing fluctuating supply and demand on the grid. This helps manage the intermittent nature of renewable sources like wind and solar by storing excess energy when production is high and releasing it when production is low.
- Large-Scale Storage Capacity: Pumped hydro facilities are designed to store energy for long durations, typically 6 to 20 hours or more. This large-scale capacity enables them to deliver power during peak demand periods, improving the reliability and consistency of renewable energy supply.
- Ancillary Grid Services: Beyond storage, pumped hydro provides essential grid services such as frequency control and operating reserves, which are crucial for maintaining grid reliability as renewable penetration grows.
- Facilitating Renewable Integration and Decarbonization: By storing excess renewable energy and providing backup, pumped hydro helps increase the grid’s ability to accommodate more renewables. This reduces reliance on fossil fuel generation, thereby cutting greenhouse gas emissions and supporting the transition to net-zero carbon systems.
- Cost Savings and Economic Benefits: Studies show that investing in pumped hydro storage can lead to significant reductions in overall energy system costs. For example, adding 4.5 GW of pumped hydro storage with 90 GWh capacity could save up to £690 million per year in the UK by 2050, aiding a cost-effective shift to clean energy.
In summary, pumped hydro storage acts as a “water battery” that complements wind and solar power by storing surplus energy, stabilizing the grid, providing essential backup, and advancing the economic and environmental goals of renewable energy integration. This makes it the most established and effective large-scale long-duration storage technology currently available.
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