The relationship between hydropower energy storage and battery energy storage

Should hydro energy storage & batteries be pumped?

Pumped hydro energy storage and batteries are likely to do much of the heavy lifting in storing renewable energy and dispatching it when power demand exceeds availability or when the price is right.

Do energy storage systems cover a 220 kW hydropower plant off-time?

Energy Storage Systems coupled to a 220 kW hydropower plant are analysed. Electric battery & integrated hydrogen system are studied. 280 MWh of battery capacity cover the 220-kW hydropower plant off-time. Batteries’ investment is lower than 40 €/kWh for the short-term storage scenario.

How much electricity does a pumped hydropower storage system provide?

The pumped hydropower storage system modelled here could, for example, provide 1000 MWh a day for almost 10 days (information provided by a pumped hydropower storage operating company). This equates to the electrical demand of 120,000 average German households .

How to compare pumped hydropower stores and utility-scale battery storage?

To compare pumped hydropower stores and utility-scale battery storage, the two options have to be sized in a way that allows for comparable functionality. This will be the basis on which the so-called “functional unit” for the life-cycle analysis will be defined .

Which pumped hydro energy storage system is best?

For each type of activity, it is readily apparent that these NPC and COE values are lesser than those of PV/HES and Wind/HES systems. For this reason, among the systems that make use of pumped hydro energy storage, the PV/Wind/HES system appears to be the most appropriate option.

Should pumped hydropower storage be a public debate?

Ultimately, part of the motivation for this piece of work was the opposition towards new pumped hydropower storage plants encountered whenever new installations are being planned. Given the clearly lower overall impacts for pumped hydropower storage, it appears advisable that these results and others like these are being fed into the public debate.