Nature Communications (Feb 2020)

Global resource potential of seasonal pumped hydropower storage for energy and water storage

  • Julian D. Hunt,
  • Edward Byers,
  • Yoshihide Wada,
  • Simon Parkinson,
  • David E. H. J. Gernaat,
  • Simon Langan,
  • Detlef P. van Vuuren,
  • Keywan Riahi

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-020-14555-y
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 11, no. 1
pp. 1 – 8

Abstract

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The potential of seasonal pumped hydropower storage (SPHS) plant to fulfil future energy storage requirements is vast in mountainous regions. Here the authors show that SPHS costs vary from 0.007 to 0.2 US$ m−3 of water stored, 1.8 to 50 US$ MWh−1 of energy stored and 0.37 to 0.6 US$ GW−1 of installed power generation capacity.