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<br />PROJECT MERITS <br /> <br />What Are the Advantages of Pumped Storage? <br /> <br />The primary economic benefit of pumped storage is <br />low-cost energy avai 1 able during off-peak hours to <br />period of peak demand. Pumped storage also has <br />which are also valuable to the electrical system. <br />are: <br /> <br />the abi 1 i ty to convert <br />high value energy during <br />numerous other benefi ts <br />Some of these benefits <br /> <br />1. Large standby capacity available on short notice. Machines in a <br />pumped storage pl ant can be operating at their most efficient point <br />and still pick up or drop load very rapidly. During the pumping <br />cycle, twice the rated capacity of the plant is available for use in <br />emergency situations. The dropping of full pumping load makes capa- <br />city equal to the total plant capacity available invnediately. This <br />can be followed in a few minutes, if necessary, by the additional full <br />generating capacity of the plant. <br /> <br />2. Spinning reserve is available to supply reserve requirement. <br /> <br />3. Load and frequency control. Turbine operations of a high head <br />pump/turbine unit may be expected to be smooth from 75 percent to 100 <br />percent at full load. In this range the generator can assist with <br />system load and frequency control. <br /> <br />4. Synchronous condenser operation. <br />used for reactive compensation to the <br />system voltage control. <br /> <br />Pump storage machines can be <br />power system, thus providing <br /> <br />5. <br />been <br />into <br /> <br />Improve system reliability, <br />demonstrated in other areas <br />the system can significantly <br /> <br />security, and availability. <br />that introduction of pumped <br />improve these factors. <br /> <br />It has <br />s tor age <br /> <br />6. Del ay investment in 1 arge, expensive baseload pl ants. Pumped <br />storage can often show a 1 arge economic benefit to the system by <br />deferring construction of nuclear and coal plants to a later period. <br /> <br />7. High availability rates. Pumped storage plants, when designed <br />appropriately, can reach availalbility rates as high as 92 percent. <br />This has great economic value, since a utility's reserve requirements <br />are related to the availability of the generating components. <br /> <br />8. Greatly reduced staffing requirement. The staffing requirements <br />of a typical pumped storage plant are approximately one-fifth that of <br />steGf1l plants. <br /> <br />'! <br /> <br />9. Long life. The structures and waterways of pumped storage sys- <br />tems have extremely long lives, up to 100 years, while the mechanical <br />and electrical components are replaced every 40 years or less. <br /> <br />10. Interruptible pumping (load management). During off-peak periods, <br />less efficient, more flexible, older steam plants are often shut down, <br />and the system load is carried .by the efficient but inflexible base- <br />load plants. Under these conditions a large interruptible load is of <br />particular value to the system. <br /> <br />:,1 <br /> <br />31 <br />