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Renewable Energy: Pumped Heat Electricity Storage

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    Spotted this the other day.
    Interesting take on the storage problem with variable output from renewables.

    http://www.economist.com/blogs/babbage/2014/03/electricity-storage?fsrc=rss&utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter
    • CommentAuthortony
    • CommentTimeMay 25th 2014
     
    I thought pumped hydro was a lot more than the 74% efficient that the article mentions.
    • CommentAuthorEd Davies
    • CommentTimeMay 25th 2014 edited
     
    http://www.iprplc-gdfsuez.com/~/media/Files/I/IPR-Plc/Attachments/presentations-pdfs/2005/hydrosite05.pdf

    Linked from Wikipedia. Page 7 (about Dinorwig) says “Cycle Efficiency 74-75%” and page 16 (about Ffestiniog) says 72-73%.

    By the way, “proper” gliders (as opposed to hang gliders) already do use a form of pumped storage in that they often carry water ballast to increase their weight so that they store more potential energy in thermals in order to be able to glide faster to the next thermal.
  4.  
    Posted By: tonyI thought pumped hydro was a lot more than the 74% efficient that the article mentions.


    That's the efficiency of the turbines - the generators are close to 100% when used as motors. It's impossible to get all the potential energy out of the water as it still must contain some in order to flow out of the turbines.

    Paul in Montreal.
    •  
      CommentAuthorSteamyTea
    • CommentTimeMay 27th 2014
     
    Would the efficiency be higher in some PS's if the reservoir is also supplied by land run off, small amounts of rainfall and river inputs?
  6.  
    Posted By: SteamyTeaWould the efficiency be higher in some PS's if the reservoir is also supplied by land run off, small amounts of rainfall and river inputs?


    Maybe a tiny bit - but the limiting factor is the efficiency of the turbine itself. Ben Cruachan is supplied by land run off, for example. The reservoir has a capacity of about 18 hours of run-time - there's no way that can be re-filled by rain and river inputs when it's most of the way up a mountain.

    (I just visited there a couple of weeks ago).

    Paul in Montreal.
    • CommentAuthorEd Davies
    • CommentTimeMay 27th 2014
     
    I'd have thought that the main advantage of this pumped heat system is that it can be operated pretty much anywhere. There are only a limited number lakes up mountains suitable for pumped storage.

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