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. A PHS system 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.
Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is electricity generated from hydropower. Hydropower supplies 14% of the world's electricity, almost 4,210 TWh in 2023, which is more than all other renewable sources combined and also more than nuclear power. Hydropower can provide large amounts of low-carbon electricity on demand, making it a key element for creating secure and clean electricity supply systems. A hydroelectric power station that has a dam and reservoir is a flexible source, since the amount of electricity produced can be increased or decreased in seconds or minutes in response to varying electricity demand. Once a hydroelectric complex is constructed, it produces no direct waste, and almost always emits considerably less greenhouse gas than fossil fuel-powered energy plants. However, when constructed in lowland rainforest areas, where part of the forest is inundated, substantial amounts of greenhouse gases may be emitted.
The Robert Moses Niagara Hydroelectric Power Station is a hydroelectric power station in Lewiston, New York, near Niagara Falls. Owned and operated by the New York Power Authority (NYPA), the plant diverts water from the Niagara River above Niagara Falls and returns the water into the lower portion of the river near Lake Ontario. It uses 13 generators at an installed capacity of 2,525 MW (3,386,000 hp) with an average annual net generation of 15,897,000 MWh between 2014 and 2023, and a capacity factor of 71.9%.
Lake Solina is an artificial lake in the Bieszczady Mountains region, in Lesko County of the Subcarpathian Voivodship, Poland. Created in 1968, it is Poland's largest artificial lake as well as a major tourist attraction of the region. The Solina Dam constructed in order to create the lake is also Poland's tallest dam and is used to produce hydroelectric power.
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. 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.
Richard B. Russell Dam is a concrete-gravity and embankment dam located on the Savannah River at the border of South Carolina and Georgia, creating Richard B. Russell Lake. The dam was built by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers between 1974 and 1985 for the purposes of flood control, hydroelectricity, recreation, additional stream flow regulation, water supply, and fish and wildlife management. The concrete structure of the dam spans 1,904 feet (580 m) and rises 210 feet (64 m) above the riverbed, housing a hydro-power plant with an installed 600 megawatts (800,000 hp) capacity. The Richard B. Russell Dam is the final large dam completed by the U.S. Army Corps in the Savannah River Basin and lies 30 miles downstream from the Hartwell Dam (1962) and 37 miles (60 km) upstream from the J. Strom Thurmond Dam (1954).
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 Yangyang Pumped Storage Power Station uses the water of the Namdae-Chun River to operate a 1,000-megawatt (1,300,000 hp) pumped storage hydroelectric power scheme, about 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) west of Yangyang in Gangwon Province, South Korea. The lower reservoir is created by the Yangyang Dam on the Namdae and the upper reservoir by the Inje Dam is located 937 metres (3,074 ft) above the power plant. Construction on the power plant began in 1996 and it was completed and dedicated on September 13, 2006. It is operated by Korean Midland Power Co., a subsidiary of Korea Electric Power Company and was completed at a cost of ₩1.1 trillion won. The first generator was operational on February 23, 2006 and the last August 10, 2006.
The Panjiakou Dam is a concrete gravity dam on the Luan River in Qianxi County, Hebei Province, China. The primary purpose of the dam is to provide water for the cities of Tianjin and Tangshan, located to the south. The dam also provides flood control and its power plant has an installed capacity of 420 MW which includes a 270 MW pumped storage power station.
The Grand'Maison Dam is an embankment dam on L'Eau d'Olle, a tributary of the Romanche River. It is located in Vaujany of Isère within the French Alps. The primary purpose of the dam is to serve as the upper reservoir for a pumped-storage hydroelectric scheme where Lac du Verney located lower in the valley is the lower reservoir. The dam was constructed between 1978 and 1985 with its power station being commissioned in 1987. With an installed capacity of 1,800 MW, it is the largest hydroelectric power station in France.
The Helms Pumped Storage Plant is located 50 mi (80 km) east of Fresno, California in the Sierra Nevada Mountain Range's Sierra National Forest. It is a power station that uses Helms Creek canyon on the North Fork of the Kings River for off-river water storage and the pumped-storage hydroelectric method to generate electricity. After being planned in the early 1970s, construction on the plant began in June 1977 and commercial operations began on 30 June 1984. It has an installed capacity of 1,212 MW and is owned by Pacific Gas and Electric Company.
The Linth–Limmern Power Stations are a system of hydroelectric power stations located south of Linthal in the canton of Glarus, Switzerland. The system uses five reservoirs and four power stations at steep variations in altitude.
The Żarnowiec Pumped Storage Power Station is a pumped-storage power station located about 7 km (4.3 mi) south of Żarnowiec, in Puck County, northern Poland. It was constructed between 1973 and 1983 and underwent a modernisation between 2007 and 2011, with the upper reservoir reconstructed in 2006.
Ghatghar Dam refers to two associated gravity dams built using roller-compacted concrete, the first use in India. They are situated in Ghatghar village in Ahmednagar district Maharashtra, India. Both dams create a lower and upper reservoir for the 250 MW pumped-storage hydroelectric power station. The upper Ghatghar dam is 15 m (49 ft) tall and on the Pravara River, a tributary of Godavari River. The lower Ghatghar dam is 86 m (282 ft) tall and located on the Shahi Nalla which is a tributary of Ulhas River to the south west of the upper reservoir in a steep valley. The hydro power project diverts Godavari River basin water outside the basin area to a west flowing river of Western ghats.
The Zhanghewan Pumped Storage Power Station is a pumped-storage hydroelectric power station located 50 km (31 mi) southwest of Shijiazhuang in Jingxing County of Hebei Province, China. Construction on the power station began on 6 December 2003 and the first unit was commissioned on 1 February 2009. The power station operates by shifting water between an upper and lower reservoir to generate electricity. The lower reservoir is created by the Zhanghewan Dam on the Gantao River which was built between 1977 and 1980, originally for irrigation. For this project the Zhanhewan Dam was raised 23 m (75 ft). The Zhanghewan Upper Reservoir is on Laoyemiao Mountain, above the west side of the lower reservoir. During periods of low energy demand, such as at night, water is pumped from Zhanghewan Lower Reservoir up to the upper reservoir. When energy demand is high, the water is released back down to the lower reservoir but the pump turbines that pumped the water up now reverse mode and serve as generators to produce electricity. The process is repeated as necessary and the plant serves as a peaking power plant.
The Huanggou Pumped Storage Power Station is a 1,200 MW pumped-storage hydroelectric power station currently under construction about 90 km (56 mi) north of Mudanjiang in Hailin County of Heilongjiang Province, China. Construction on the project began on 8 May 2014. The first generator is scheduled to be commissioned in January 2019 and the project complete in January 2020. The station began full operation on the 29th of June 2022. The power station operates by shifting water between an upper and lower reservoir to generate electricity. The lower reservoir, Lianhua Reservoir, is located on the Mudan River and the upper reservoir is located in a valley above the north side of the lower reservoir. During periods of low energy demand, such as at night, water is pumped from Huanggou Lower Reservoir up to the upper reservoir. When energy demand is high, the water is released back down to the lower reservoir but the pump turbines that pumped the water up now reverse mode and serve as generators to produce electricity. The process is repeated as necessary and the plant serves as a peaking power plant. It is operated by the State Grid Corporation of China.
The Bissorte Dam is a gravity dam in the Maurienne Valley, in Savoie, France, about 7 km (4.3 mi) east of Valmeinier. It was built from 1930 to 1935 to supply a hydroelectric plant capable of generating 75 megawatts (MW) of power.
The Montézic Power Station is a pumped-storage power plant near the commune of Montézic in northern Aveyron, France. Its 910 megawatt capacity ranks it second among France's main pumped-storage facilities, and is the only one situated on the Central Massif.
The Shimogo Pumped Storage Power Station is a large pumped-storage hydroelectric power plant in Shimogō, Minamiaizu, Fukushima Prefecture, Japan. With an installed capacity of 1,000 megawatts (1,300,000 hp), the system is one of the largest pumped-storage power stations in Japan.
The Shintoyone Pumped Storage Power Station is a large pumped-storage hydroelectric power plant in Toyone, Kitashitara, Aichi Prefecture, Japan. With an installed capacity of 1,125 megawatts (1,509,000 hp), the plant is one of the largest pumped-storage power stations in Japan.
