Student research opportunities
Pumped hydro storage
Project Code: CECS_901
This project is available at the following levels:
Engn4200, Engn R&D, Honours, Summer Scholar, PhD
Supervisor:
Professor Andrew BlakersOutline:
Large scale deployment of wind and solar will eventually require the use of storage or other means to deal with variability. Pumped hydro electric energy storage constitutes 99% of all energy storage, with some 140GW deployed around the world. There are vast opportunities for off-river pumped hydro energy storage, away from rivers and other environmentally sensitive areas, in hilly farm country, and with heads of 500-1000m - far more than typical hydroelectric heads. Off river pumped hydro storage for a few hours allows load leveling at low cost.
Goals of this project
- calculate the amount of storage required for an all-solar/wind powered energy system
- examine a range of sites using to determine pumped hydro feasibility
- estimate costs and economic feasibility and compare with alternatives
