Although the peak summer has created crisis of potable water at different parts of India due to lack of effective local planning, there is no doubt that our country is blessed with enough water resources. Thus, besides harnessing solar power, our union government has judiciously decided to expand our hydel power capability.
Globally, hydropower was one of the first sources of energy used for electricity generation. In this field, the concept of Water Batteries or Pumped Storage Projects (PSPs) is a relatively recent development. Putting in very simple words, the method 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.
In the 1930s reversible hydroelectric turbines became available. This apparatus could operate both as turbine generators and in reverse as electric motor-driven pumps. The latest in large-scale engineering technology is variable speed machines for greater efficiency. These machines operate in synchronization with the network frequency when generating, but operate asynchronously when pumping.
It goes without saying that PSPs are ideal complements to modern clean energy systems. Given the ongoing energy transitions in our country, the development of PSPs is gaining importance for providing greater inertia and balancing power to the grid.
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