Seasonal
pumped hydropower storage (SPHS), an already established yet infrequently used
technology, could be an affordable and sustainable solution to store energy and
water on an annual scale, according to new IIASA research published in the
journal Nature Communications. Compared with other mature storage
solutions, such as natural gas, the study shows that there is considerable
potential for SPHS to provide highly competitive energy storage costs.
"The
energy sectors of most countries are undergoing a transition to renewable
energy sources, particularly wind and solar generation," says IIASA
postdoc Julian Hunt, the study lead author. "These sources are
intermittent and have seasonal variations, so they need storage alternatives to
guarantee that the demand can be met at any time. Short-term energy storage
solutions with batteries are underway to resolve intermittency issues, however,
the alternative for long-term energy storage that is usually considered to
resolve seasonal variations in electricity generation is hydrogen, which is not
yet economically competitive."
Seasonal
pumped hydropower storage means pumping water into a deep storage reservoir,
built parallel to a major river, during times of high water flow or low energy
demand. When water is scarce or energy demand increases, stored water is then
released from the reservoir to generate electricity.
The
new study is the first to provide a global, high-resolution analysis of the
potential and costs for SPHS technology. In their analysis, researchers
assessed the theoretical global potential for storing energy and water
seasonally with SPHS, focusing on the locations with the highest potential and
lowest cost. They also analyzed different scenarios where the storage of energy
and water with SPHS could be a viable alternative. The study included
topographical, river network and hydrology data, infrastructure cost
estimation, and project design optimization, to identify technically feasible
candidate sites.
The
new study shows that water storage costs with SPHS plants vary from 0.007 to
0.2 US$/m3, long-term energy storage costs vary from 1.8 to 50 US$/MWh and
short-term energy storage costs vary from 370 to 600 US$/KW of installed power
generation capacity, considering dam, tunnel, turbine, generator, excavation,
and land costs. The estimated world energy storage potential below a cost of 50
$/MWh is 17.3 PWh, which is approximately 79% of the world electricity
consumption in 2017.
The
researchers found that significant potential exists for SPHS around the world,
in particular in the lower part of the Himalayas, Andes, Alps, Rocky Mountains,
northern part of the Middle East, Ethiopian Highlands, Brazilian Highlands,
Central America, East Asia, Papua New Guinea, the Sayan, Yablonoi and Stanovoy
mountain ranges in Russia, as well as a number of other locations with smaller
potential.
"Concerns
about the intermittency and seasonality of wind and solar can be valid, but are
also sometimes exaggerated," says IIASA researcher Edward Byers, a study
coauthor. "This study demonstrates that there is an extremely high
potential for SPHS to be used across much of the world, providing a
readily-available, affordable and sustainable solution to support the
transition to sustainable energy systems and overcome real and perceived
barriers to high shares of renewable generation."
The
study also addresses some of the potential environmental concerns related to
hydropower. Because SPHS reservoirs are deep and constructed parallel to,
rather than within the course of a river, the environmental and land use
impacts can also be up to 10 to 50 times smaller than traditional hydropower
plants.
Hunt
says, "With the need for a transition to a more sustainable world with
lower CO2 emissions, renewable energies and energy storage will play
a major role in the near future. Given the vast untapped and cheap potential of
SPHS, it will soon play an important role in storing energy and water on a
yearly basis."
Source:
Materials provided
by International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis.
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