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Pumped Storage Hydroelectricity
Pumped Storage Hydroelectricity
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I. INTRODUCTION
industries in Italy and Switzerland in the 1890s to enable is justified primarily on its basic benefits of providing
them to store surplus night-time output from run-of-river peaking capacity, and economic energy transfer.
hydro stations for use in meeting their peak power for projects in highly developed, industrialized nations, the
requirements the following day. dynamic operating benefits are, in many instances the
Japan, USA, Italy, Germany, France and Spain are the driving force for justification and construction of modern
world’s leading countries in terms of installed capacity of pumped storage projects.
pumped storage projects, including those under
construction. A. Environmental Sensibility
For countries with topography and geologic conditions Today environmental aspects of all power plants are
suitable for pumped storage project sites, one measure of receiving more stringent scrutiny, and new pumped storage
the extent of utilization of pumped storage capacity is the projects are no exception. While the level of concern varies
percentage of the total electric capacity that is provided by around the world, environmental aspects are being
pumped storage. investigated in greater detail and are increasingly a major
Austria stands out as the country having the highest consideration in planning and operation of pumped storage
percentage of pumped storage capacity on its electric projects.
system. Pumped storage provides approximately 17 percent Some of the design features used to reduce the
of Austria’s total generation capacity. Austria is followed environmental effects of pumped storage projects include:
by Switzerland, Spain, Italy and Japan, all with pumped 1. Design of closed systems to isolate pumped
storage capacities of approximately ten percent of their storage projects from the area streams and
generating capacity. The USA lags well behind with only other natural bodies of water. This minimizes
2.5 percent of its generation capacity being provided by impacts on water quality and precludes impacts
pumped storage. on fisheries.
Japan is far ahead of all other countries in the advancement 2. Use of underground power houses and flow lines
of pumped storage technology and its utilization. Some to reduce visual surface disturbances.
pumped storage projects in Japan are operated nearly 24 3. Consideration of excavated underground lower
hours each day. The use of variable speed units in Japan reservoirs to further reduce surface disturbances.
provides load ramping capability in the pumping mode and 4. Environmental enhancements provided when
contributes to the versatility and effective use of pumped opportunities are available, for example, the
storage. provision of recreational facilities.
I. Design for a Large Number of Mode Changes balancing with associated benefits to the electric system.
Daily One important benefit is the reduction of minimum
Modern pumped storage projects are designed for many operating load requirement of the thermal plants during
mode changes daily, as they respond to the system needs. off-peak hours.
Two primary modes of operation are, of course, the
pumping and the generating modes. Other modes of C. Load Regulation:
operations include: spin generating; machine synchronized During the generating cycle, a pumped storage project is
spinning-in-air; and spin pumping , similar to spin suitable for continuous matching of the system generation
generating but in the reverse rotation. When the machine is with the system loads, as is a pumped storage project with
in the spin generation or spin pumping modes, the variable-sped units during the pumping cycle. Depending
generators can be operated as synchronous condensers for on the generation mix of the system or its interconnections
voltage regulation. to other utilities, this attribute of pumped storage can be of
The Dinorwig Station in North Wales, which is operated to great value.
respond to the system imbalances and other needs, was Electric systems that have pumped storage plants available
designed for an average of 40 mode changes per unit per use them for minute- by-minute area-control, load
day and has at times experienced as many as 80 mode regulation and frequency control. These uses are
changes in one day on one unit. Some pumped storage particularly important in electric systems with a large
projects in Japan are operated 24 hours a day, and similarly installed base of thermal units.
undergo many mode changes in response to the system
needs. (Fig. 2 shows a typical pumped storage unit’s daily D. Spinning and Standby Reserves:
operation. Note the changes occurring during the length of The criteria for the definition of spinning and standby
the day.) reserve vary according to the system being served.
Generally, a resource qualifies as spinning reserve if it is
V. FUNCTIONS & BENEFITS OF PUMPED STORAGE PROJECTS operating synchronized and can be brought to full load in a
Pumped storage has evolved into highly sophisticated, short time, that is, a pumped storage unit in spin-generating
electric system management resource with many functions mode ready to be loaded, or operating at part load
that contribute to the system reliability and the quality of Standby reserves are resources that can be brought on-line
service provided. One major attribute of pumped storage and loaded quickly, generally in 5 to 10 minutes. Most
that is rarely matched by other resources is the continuing pumped storage projects in a shutdown condition, with
discovery of more and more benefits. The full valuation of sufficient energy stored in upper reservoir, qualify as
the benefits of such projects generally trails their standby reserves.
construction and operation. In Japan, pumped storage Pumped storage project in spinning and standby reserve
projects are used in a variety of ways to continuously modes are available to provide system frequency control,
correct system imbalances, to respond to system needs, and and to respond to and correct low frequency occurrences.
to provide for efficient utilization of other generation and
transmission resources.
Pumped storage power plants help achieve maximum
efficiency for the power generating system, aid in load
balancing and maintain power system stability as a whole.
Although the losses of the pumping process makes the
plant a net consumer of energy overall, the system
increases revenue by selling more electricity during periods
of peak demand, when electricity prices are highest.
It is difficult to prepare an all inclusive list of the functions
and services of pumped storage projects. This report covers
only the primary functions of a modern pumped storage
projects which are also its advantages. Some of the
functions may appear overlapping.
A. Peaking Capacity:
A pumped storage plant contributes to the total peaking Fig. 3
capacity of the system. If peaking capacity is not provided
by pumped storage project, it has to be provided by gas E. Load Following
turbines or other generating resources increasing the cost of Nearly every electric system that has pumped storage finds
energy generation. great value in its fast pick-up or shedding of load(ramping)
and its large load change capability. This reduces the need
B. Peaking and pumping energy: for scheduled purchases and operation of old thermal plants
For the hours of pumped storage generation on the electric at reduced load. (Fig. 3)
system, pumped storage provides peaking energy to the
system. The revenues from the peaking energy produced F. Black Start Capability
are partially offset by the cost of the pumping energy. The The black start capability of a pumped storage project
pumping energy costs are the applicable off-peak rates for contributes to system reliability and restart in case of
the generating units used for the pumping duty. system-wide failure of the transmission or generation
Operation of a pumped storage project results in load system.
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REFERENCES
[1] B.J. Davidson, B. Sc, Ph. D.; I. Glendenning, B. Sc; R.D.
Harman, Wh. Sc, B.Sc.(Eng.), B.Sc. (Econ.);A.B. Hart, B. Sc,
Ph.D., C. Eng., F.R.I.C., F. lnstitute P; “Large-scale electrical
energy storage”
[2] MEIER, W., MULLER, J., GREIN, H., and JAQUET, M.:
'Pump-
Turbines and storage pumps', Escher Wyss News, 1971/2
[3] PHILIPSEN, H., and STAHLSCHMIDT, C: 'The Hydraulic
aspects of pumped-storage schemes and the present stage of their
development', Voith Research & Construction, 1967.
[4] THOMANN, G.,” The Rdnkhausen pumped storage project”,
Water Power, August 1969.
[5] Jason Makansi Executive Director, “Energy Storage Council
E n e r g y S t o r a g e The Sixth Dimension of the Electricity “
Production and Delivery Value Chain
[6] American Society of Civil Engineers , Task Committee on
Pumped Storage, ‘Hydroelectric Pumped Storage technology:
International Experience’
[7] Paul A. Breeze, ‘Power Generation Technologies’
Standard handbook of powerplant engineering.
[8] Thomas C. Elliott, Kao Chen, Robert C. Swanekamp
Hydrology and water resources of India
[9] Sharad K. Jain, Pushpendra K. Agarwal, Vijay P. Singh,
“Hydrology and water resources of India”
[10] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pumped-
storage_hydroelectricity
[11] http://www.symbioticsenergy.com/projects/pumped-
history.html