What’s pumped storage got to do with it?

Good renewable energy news: Wind generation in the Northwest grew from almost nothing in 1998, to over 4,700 MW in 2015.

Other news: Bringing the variable nature of wind generation on and off line quickly is a “load balancing” challenge. Hydropower has admirably supported this balancing role, but current facilities to do that are largely maxed out.

As wind and other variable generation resources come on-line, could pumped storage be the load balancing key to maintaining the Northwest’s leadership in clean, renewable energy for years to come?

Click here for presentation provided by FWEE member MWH on just this subject at the international HydroVision Conference held in Portland, OR in July. It does a really good job of explaining the challenge and the opportunity.