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The renewable energy technology field has seen significant
growth in the advancement of solar cells and wind turbines. Yet these sources
of power are inconsistent, leading to overages or shortfalls depending on day-to-day
and seasonal weather conditions.
For a renewable source of consistent power, pumped storage
is the answer. Hydro-power is the most widely-used renewable power generation
technology today. It currently provides a much larger base of generation compared
to other renewable technologies, with OECD North America producing 702,753 GWh
from hydro as compared to 59,784 GWh from wind and 2,492 GWh from solar
sources.
The International Energy Agency published a report to
address the active management of power systems to maintain a steady supply-and-demand
balance. The report, titled Harnessing
Variable Renewables: A Guide to the Balancing Challenge, says that "Some
renewable energy technologies (for example biomass, geothermal and reservoir
hydropower) present no greater challenge than conventional power technologies
in integration terms." This is because pumped storage technology has the
ability to utilize supply-and-demand strategies for "storage" purposes.
Pump storage systems use two reservoirs: a higher reservoir
for generating energy during peak usage and a lower reservoir for storing water
to be pumped to the higher one during low demand. Like all energy story mediums
however, the reality is that these systems are net consumers of electricity.
Because of the push for renewable sources of power, pumped
storage facilities should continue to receive attention and development. They provide a renewable means to energy
storage and stabilization for variable sources that are beginning to make a
bigger impact in the global energy market.
Source: Renewable Energy World
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Re: Pumped Storage - The Renewable Stabilizer
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