Principle of hydraulic turbine in pumped storage power station

What is a pumped storage hydropower plant (PSH)?

Pumped storage hydropower plants (PSH) are designed to lift water to a reservoir at higher elevation when the electricity demand is low or when prices are low, and turbine water to produce electricity when the demand is high and/or prices are high.

What is pumped hydropower storage?

Pumped hydropower storage (PHS), also called pumped hydroelectricity storage, stores electricity in the form of water head for electricity supply/demand balancing. For pumping water to a reservoir at a higher level, low-cost off-peak electricity or renewable plants’ production is used.

What is pumped storage power plant technology?

At its heart pumped storage power plant technology sees water pumped to a higher elevation reservoir when there is a surplus of electricity. This water is then released into lower elevation reservoirs to generate electricity when needed.

How much energy is stored in pumped hydropower storage reservoirs?

According to a recent analy-sis paper by the International Hydropower Association (IHA), the estimated total energy stored in pumped storage reservoirs worldwide is up to 9,000 GWh. Graphic: Pumped hydropower storage capacity (GW) of top 10 countries and rest of the world in 2019. Source: IHA 2019

How does a water turbine work?

In a pumped storage power plant, the large change in water head from the reservoir is transformed into the head of the small and medium range in the virtual constant pressure tank through the hydraulic transmission mechanism. The water turbine then carries out the power and storage function.

Are pumped storage power plants the future of energy storage?

Pumped storage power plants are currently the most economical way of efficiently storing large amounts of energy over a longer period. As the most proven, reliable and cost-eficient technolo-gy for bulk energy storage, pumped storage hydropower is already a significant contributor to our clean energy future.