Storing hydro power
Norway is one country that could become, at least partially, the “green battery of Europe” by using hydropower plants to provide extra electricity. The existing network of hydropower plants could be developed to instantly boost power supplies across the continent. As the sources of energy change, power systems will have to become more flexible, so they can balance generation and consumption. One way to introduce this flexibility into the grid is through pumped hydro storage.
Norway has 937 hydropower plants, which provide 96% of its electricity, making it the sixth largest hydropower producer in the world - despite having a population of only 5 million.
Pumped hydro storage is the oldest kind of large-scale energy storage and works on a very simple principle – two reservoirs at different altitudes are required and when the water is released from the upper reservoir to the lower reservoir, energy is created by the downflow, which is directed through a turbine and generator to create electricity.
The water is then pumped back to the upper reservoir during periods of low demand. Pumped storage hydro provides one of the few large-scale, affordable means for storing and generating carbon-free and low-cost electricity. it is one of the most cost-effective utility-scale options for grid energy storage, acting as a key provider of ancillary services.
On average, European pumped storage plants are more than 30 years old, with two-thirds of them built between 1970 and 1990. It looks like conditions are ripe for new capacity construction.
Pumped storage generation offers a critical back-up facility during periods of unexpected peak demand or sudden shortfalls in supply, If we want to see this happening on a European scale, it is essential that we upgrade the continent’s ageing grid infrastructure, ensure that countries open up borders, increase interconnection and trade electricity on a single market.”
An alternative to building new dams is the Prosper-Haniel pit in the state of North Rhine Westphalia near the Dutch border. It has produced coal for almost half a century but is set to turn into a 200-MW pumped storage hydroelectric reservoir. It will act as a super-giant battery with enough capacity to power over 400,000 homes for up to 4 hours when needed.
Researchers from a number of German universities are working alongside private engineering companies and the government on the project. Once successfully up and running, this is something that could potentially be modelled and rolled out Europe-wide.