Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Figure 2.7. Seneca Pumped Storage Generating Station above Kinzua Dam on the
Allegheny River, Pennsylvania, United States. Source: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers/
Margaret Luzier.
This would appear at first to be a Sisyphean task, and indeed it does involve a net loss of
energy.Itmakessense,however,inthecontextofpowergeneration.Fossilfuelandnuclear
power stations produce a constant supply of electricity, yet demand varies considerably
between day and night. It would not be economical to shut down all or part of a power
stationatnight,soinsteadgenerationcompaniescanusepumpedstoragetomakeuseofthe
surplus electricity generated at night. Large-scale storage also makes sense in the case of
wind and solar power plants: wind blows intermittently and the sun does not shine at night.
Storage is therefore required to compensate for calm periods and for nights and cloudy
days.
Like water, air can also be stored for later release to drive turbines. In this case,
air is pumped at high pressure into underground caverns, abandoned mines, or large
tanks. Within the current energy economy, large-scale water and compressed air storage
is not viable. However, in a future energy economy where renewables play a greater role,
methods such as these can help to compensate for the intermittency of wind and solar
energy.
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