Pumped-storage hydroelectricity (PSH), or pumped hydroelectric energy storage (PHES), is a type of hydroelectric energy storage used by electric power systems for load balancing. The method stores energy in the form of gravitational potential energy of water, pumped from a lower elevation reservoir to a higher elevation. Low-cost surplus off-peak electric power is typically used to run the pumps. During periods of high electrical demand, the stored water is released through turbines to produce electric power. 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.
Hydroelectricity is electricity produced from hydropower. In 2015, hydropower generated 16.6% of the world's total electricity and 70% of all renewable electricity, and was expected to increase about 3.1% each year for the next 25 years.
Hyōgo Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kansai region on Honshu island. The capital of Hyogo is Kobe.
Like most pumped-storage facilities, the power station utilizes two reservoirs, releasing and pumping as the demand rises and falls. Construction on the facility began in 1970 and was completed in 1974.
Kurokawa Reservoir
The Kurokawa Reservoir, the upper reservoir, has a capacity of 33,387,000 cubic metres (27,067acre⋅ft), a catchment area of 1,090,000 square metres (11,700,000sqft), and a reservoir surface area of 5.2 square kilometres (2.0sqmi), and is held back by the Kurokawa Dam Japanese: 黒川ダム.
Japanese is an East Asian language spoken by about 128 million people, primarily in Japan, where it is the national language. It is a member of the Japonic language family, and its relation to other languages, such as Korean, is debated. Japanese has been grouped with language families such as Ainu, Austroasiatic, and the now-discredited Altaic, but none of these proposals has gained widespread acceptance.
An embankment dam is a large artificial dam. It is typically created by the placement and compaction of a complex semi-plastic mound of various compositions of soil, sand, clay, or rock. It has a semi-pervious waterproof natural covering for its surface and a dense, impervious core. This makes such a dam impervious to surface or seepage erosion. Such a dam is composed of fragmented independent material particles. The friction and interaction of particles binds the particles together into a stable mass rather than by the use of a cementing substance.
Tataragi Reservoir
The Tataragi Reservoir, the lower reservoir, has a capacity of 19,440,000 cubic metres (687,000,000cuft), a catchment area of 1,050,000 square metres (11,300,000sqft), and a reservoir surface area of 13.4 square kilometres (5.2sqmi), and is held back by the Tataragi Dam Japanese: 多々良木ダム.
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Lake Qaraoun is an artificial lake or reservoir located in the southern region of the Beqaa Valley, Lebanon. It was created near Qaraoun village in 1959 by building a 61-metre-high (200 ft) concrete-faced rockfill dam in the middle reaches of the Litani River. The reservoir has been used for hydropower generation, domestic water supply, and for irrigation of 27,500 hectares.
The Tokuyama Dam is an embankment dam near Ibigawa, Ibi District, Gifu Prefecture in Japan. The dam was completed in 2008 and will support a 153 MW hydroelectric power station that is expected to be fully operational in 2015. Currently, Unit 1 at 23 MW was commissioned in May 2014. The dam was originally intended to withhold the upper reservoir of a 400 MW pumped-storage power station until a design change in 2004. The dam is also intended for flood control and water supply. It is the largest dam by structural volume in Japan and withholds the country's largest reservoir by volume as well.
Talbingo Dam is a major ungated rock fill with clay core embankment dam with concrete chute spillway across the Tumut River upstream of Talbingo in the Snowy Mountains region of New South Wales, Australia. The dam's main purpose is for the generation of hydro-power and is the largest of sixteen major dams that comprise the Snowy Mountains Scheme, a vast hydroelectricity and irrigation complex constructed in south-east Australia between 1949 and 1974 and now run by Snowy Hydro. The impounded reservoir is called Talbingo Reservoir.
The Splityard Creek Dam is a rock and earth-fill embankment dam with an un-gated spillway across the Pryde Creek that is located in the South East region of Queensland, Australia. The sole purpose of the dam are for the generation of hydroelectricity. The impounded reservoir is called the Splityard Creek Reservoir.
Tanbara Dam is a rock-fill embankment dam on a Tone River tributary in Gunma Prefecture of Japan. It is located 14 kilometres (8.7 mi) north of Numata. It creates the upper reservoir for the 1,200 megawatts (1,600,000 hp) Tamahara Pumped Storage Power Station (玉原発電所). Construction began in 1973 and the dam was complete in 1981 while the power station was commissioned in 1986. It is 116 metres (381 ft) tall and withholds a reservoir with a storage capacity of 14,800,000 m3 (11,999 acre⋅ft). Of that capacity, 13,000,000 cubic metres (11,000 acre⋅ft) is active for power generation. The lower reservoir for the pumped-storage power station is created by the Fujiwara Dam, located 4 km (2 mi) to the northwest on another Tone River tributary. Power is generated during periods of high energy demand and pumping occurs during times when energy demand is low such as at night. The power station contains four 300 megawatts (400,000 hp) reversible Francis turbine pump-generators which serve to both pump water and generate electricity. The upper Tamahara Reservoir is at an elevation of 1,177 metres (3,862 ft) and the lower Fujiwara Reservoir is at 651 metres (2,136 ft) which affords the power station an effective hydraulic head of 518 metres (1,699 ft). When pumping, the pump-generators can move up to 210 cubic metres per second (7,400 cu ft/s) of water and when generating, they discharge up to 276 cubic metres per second (9,700 cu ft/s).
Driekloof Dam is a small section of the Sterkfontein Dam, Free State, South Africa. A section of the Sterkfontein Dam reservoir is isolated after the construction of Driekloof Dam, this small reservoir has a capacity of 35.6 million cubic metres (28,900 acre⋅ft)., together with the Kilburn Dam almost 500 metres (1,600 ft) lower, Driekloof forms part of Eskom's Drakensberg Pumped Storage Scheme and Tugela-Vaal Water Project, and provides for up to 27.6 gigawatt-hours (99 TJ) of electricity storage in the form of 275 million cubic metres of water. The water is pumped to Driekloof during times of low national power consumption and released back into Kilburn through four 250 megawatts (340,000 hp) turbine generators in times of high electricity demand.
The Ponmudi Dam, in the Idukki district, State of Kerala, India, is a hydroelectric project constructed across the Panniar River, a tributary of the Periyar River which is the longest river in Kerala. Built in 1963, it has a length of 294 metres (965 ft). The hydropower component of the dam has an installed capacity of 30 MW with firm power of 17 MW, generating 158 GWh annually.
The Siah Bisheh Pumped Storage Power Plant, also spelled Siyāhbisheh and Siah Bishe, is located in the Alborz Mountain range near the village of Siah Bisheh and 48 km (30 mi) south of Chalus in Mazandaran Province, Iran. The power plant uses the pumped-storage hydroelectric method to generate electricity during periods of high energy demand, making it a peaking power plant, intended to fulfill peak electricity demand in Tehran 60 km (37 mi) to the south. When complete it will have an installed generating capacity of 1,040 megawatts (1,390,000 hp) and a pumping capacity of 940 megawatts (1,260,000 hp). Planning for the project began in the 1970s and construction began in 1985. It was delayed from 1992 until 2001 and the first generator went online in May 2013. The remaining generators were commissioned by 1 September 2015. The power plant is the first pumped-storage type in Iran and will also use the country's first concrete-face rock-fill dam – two of them.
The Kannagawa Hydropower Plant (神流川発電所) is an under construction pumped-storage hydroelectric power plant near Minamiaiki in Nagano Prefecture and Ueno in Gunma Prefecture, Japan. The power plant utilizes the Minamiaiki River along with an upper and lower reservoir created by two dams, the upper Minamiaiki Dam and the lower Ueno Dam. The power station in between the two dams will contain six 470 megawatts (630,000 hp) pump-generators for a total installed capacity of 2,820 megawatts (3,780,000 hp). Unit 1 commenced commercial operation in 2005 and Unit 2 in 2012. When completed, the plant will have the second-largest pumped-storage power capacity in the world.
The Serra da Mesa Dam, once known as Sao Felix, is an embankment dam on the Tocantins River near Minaçu in Goiás, Brazil. The dam serves an associated hydroelectric power plant with a 1,275 megawatts (1,710,000 hp) installed capacity. The dam creates the largest reservoir by volume in Brazil.
The Engineer Souza Dias Dam, formerly known as the Jupiá Dam is an embankment dam on the Paraná River near Três Lagoas in Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil. It was constructed for hydroelectric power production, flood control and navigation. Studies on the dam and power plant began in 1951 which recommended the dam along with the Ilha Solteira Dam. The dam was inaugurated in 1968 and its generators were commissioned between 1969 and 1974.
The Baishan Dam is an arch-gravity dam on the Second Songhua River near the town of Baishanzhen, Huadian, Jilin Province, China. The purpose of the dam is hydroelectric power generation and flood control. The dam supplies water to five turbine-generators in two different powerhouses for an installed capacity of 1,500 megawatts (2,000,000 hp) while it can also control a design 19,100 cubic metres per second (670,000 cu ft/s) flood. Additionally, it has a 300 megawatts (400,000 hp) pumped-storage hydroelectric generation capacity. It is named after Baekdu Mountain, near the city of Baishan.
The Amagase Dam (天ヶ瀬ダム) is an arch dam on the Uji River just upstream from Uji, Kyoto Prefecture, Japan. The main purpose of the dam is flood control but it supports a hydroelectric power station and creates the lower reservoir for the Kisenyama Pumped Storage Plant. The dam itself serves a 92 MW power station while the pumped-storage power station upstream has a 466 MW capacity. Construction on the dam began in 1955 and it was complete in 1964. The pumped-storage power station became operational in 1970. Both plants are owned by Kansai Electric Power Company.
The Shin-Takasegawa Pumped Storage Station (新高瀬川発電所) uses the Takase River to operate a pumped storage hydroelectric scheme about 12 kilometres (7.5 mi) west of Ōmachi in Nagano Prefecture, Japan. Part of the system is within Chūbu-Sangaku National Park.
The Kazunogawa Pumped Storage Power Station is a pumped-storage hydroelectric power station near Kōshū in Yamanashi Prefecture, Japan.
The station is designed to have an installed capacity of 1,600 megawatts (2,100,000 hp) and three of the four 400 megawatts (540,000 hp) generators are currently operational, for a total operational capacity of 1200 MW.
Construction on the power station began in 1993 and the first generator was commissioned on 3 December 1999. The second was commissioned on 8 June 2000. The third on become operational on 9 June 2014, six year early due to post-power demand from the Great East Japan earthquake. The fourth and final generator is slate to be commissioned by 2024. It is owned by TEPCO and was constructed at a cost of $2.2 billion USD.
The Entracque Power Plant, also known as The Upper Gesso Plant, is a pumped-storage hydroelectric power station located in Valle Gesso just south of Entracque, Italy. The power station contains pump-generators for two co-located but hydraulically separated power schemes; the Chiotas-Piastra Plant and Rovina-Piastra Plant. Both plants use separate upper reservoirs but use Lago della Piastra as their common lower reservoir. To produce power, water is released from the upper reservoirs to the power station located at the lower reservoir. The pump-generators re-fill the reservoirs and the process repeats as needed. The Chiotas' upper reservoir, Lago del Chiotas, is located much higher in the valley and larger than Rovina's Lago della Rovina which affords it the ability to produce more electricity. The installed capacity of Chiotas is 1,184 megawatts (1,588,000 hp) with a hydraulic head of 1,048 m (3,438 ft) while Rovina has an installed capacity of 133.67 megawatts (179,250 hp) and a head of 598 metres (1,962 ft). Construction on the plant began in 1962 and operations started in 1982. It is owned and operated by Enel.
The Imaichi Dam (今市ダム) is a concrete gravity dam on the Togawa River located 4 kilometres (2.5 mi) west of Nikkō in Tochigi Prefecture, Japan.
The dam serves as the lower reservoir for the 1,050 megawatts (1,410,000 hp) Imaichi Pumped Storage Power Station, while the Kuriyama Dam forms the upper.
It is owned by TEPCO and was constructed between 1979 and 1986.
The reservoir can store 9,100,000 cubic metres (7,400 acre⋅ft) of water. Of that storage volume, 6,200,000 cubic metres (5,000 acre⋅ft) can be used for power generation.
The Matanoagawa Dam (俣野川ダム) is a concrete gravity dam on a tributary of the Hino River located 2.3 km (1 mi) south of Kōfu in Tottori Prefecture, Japan. Construction on the dam began in 1978 and it was complete in 1984. The primary purpose of the dam is hydroelectric generation and it creates the lower reservoir for the Matanoagawa Pumped Storage Power Station (俣野川発電所). It is 69.3 metres (227 ft) tall and creates a reservoir with a 7,940,000-cubic-metre (6,440 acre⋅ft) storage capacity. The power station is located on the southern bank of the reservoir and contains four 300 megawatts (400,000 hp) Francis pump-turbine-generators. The upper reservoir for the pumped-storage scheme is created by the Doyo Dam located 6 kilometres (3.7 mi) to the southeast in Okayama Prefecture. To generate power, water from the Doyo Dam is sent to the power station, used to generate electricity and then discharged into the Matanoagawa Reservoir. This occurs when energy demand is high and when it is low, water is pumped back up to the Doyo Dam as stored energy. The same pump-generators that pump the water to Doyo reverse and generate electricity when it is sent back down. The first generator was operational in 1992 and the last in 1996.
The Okuyoshino Pumped Storage Power Station (奥吉野発電所) is located 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) north of Totsukawa in Nara Prefecture, Japan. Using the pumped-storage hydroelectric method, the power plant has an installed capacity of 1,206 megawatts (1,617,000 hp). To accomplish power generation, the power station shifts water between two reservoirs, the lower Asahi Reservoir and the upper Seto Reservoir. Construction on both the Asahi and Seto Dams began in 1971 and was complete in 1978. The power station was commissioned in 1980. Due to heavy sediment and turbidity in the Seto Reservoir, caused by logging and landslides upstream, a sediment bypass tunnel was constructed between 1992 and 1998.
Fitzroy Falls Dam in New South Wales, Australia, is part of the Shoalhaven Scheme, completed in 1974. It consists of four separate earth and rockfill embankments located on the Yarrunga Creek upstream of Fitzroy Falls and about 16 kilometres (9.9 mi) southeast of Moss Vale. The main embankment of 760 cubic metres (27,000 cu ft) is 14 metres (46 ft) high and 1,530 metres (5,020 ft) in length. At 100% capacity, the dam wall holds back approximately 9,950 megalitres of water, creating the impounded Fitzroy Falls Reservoir, which has a surface area of 522 hectares, drawn from a catchment area of 31 square kilometres (12 sq mi). The spillway has a discharge capacity of 516 cubic metres per second (18,200 cu ft/s).
