In FY16, the Water Power Program was appropriated $5,000,000 to “support competitive demonstrations to assess the commercial viability of new or advanced pumped storage technologies.”

1. 1 | Wind and Water Power Technologies Office eere.energy.gov
Wind & Water Power Technologies Office
Public Webinar:
Challenges and Opportunities for
Pumped Storage Hydropower in the
United States
May 5, 2016
1:00 pm – 4:00 pm

2. 2 | Wind and Water Power Technologies Office eere.energy.gov
Agenda
 1:00 – 1:15PM Welcoming Remarks and Context for Webinar
 Welcome audience
 Discuss webinar logistics
 Review the agenda and schedule for execution
 Set context for the webinar
 Outline specific goals for the day
 1:15 – 1:45PM Presentation: State of the Industry and Research Efforts in PSH
 Discuss current state of the pumped storage industry
 Present research in PSH done by Argonne National Laboratory
 1:45 – 2:45PM Working Session 1: Modeling and Analysis Investments to Improve Understanding and Valuation of PSH
 Existing market challenges facing the industry
 Pathways to address challenges through modeling and analysis
 2:45 – 3:45PM Working Session 2: Technology Investments to Lower the Cost of Energy and Deployment Timelines
 Innovative technologies to address relevant U.S. challenges
 Strategic areas for future research and development
 3:45 – 4:00PM Closing Remarks
 Overview of take away messages
 Explanation of next steps
 4:00 Adjourn

3. 3 | Wind and Water Power Technologies Office eere.energy.gov
 The focus of the webinar is on the current challenges
and opportunities for pumped storage hydropower in the
U.S.
 Purpose of the meeting is not to achieve consensus or
make decisions
 Provide input on challenges and opportunities based on
your personal experience
 Encourage open dialogue and respectful discussions
 Be concise
 Mute telephones to avoid background noise
Ground Rules

4. 4 | Wind and Water Power Technologies Office eere.energy.gov
 When speaking, please identify
yourself and your organization
 To speak, please use the Raise
Your Hand feature
 You may also type in your questions
Ground Rules

5. 5 | Wind and Water Power Technologies Office eere.energy.gov
Context for Webinar
In FY16, the Water Power Program was appropriated
$5,000,000 to “support competitive demonstrations
to assess the commercial viability of new or
advanced pumped storage technologies.”

6. 6 | Wind and Water Power Technologies Office eere.energy.gov
Context for Webinar
Federal investments in new or advanced PSH technologies would be valuable
for the following reasons:
• There is renewed interest in PSH plants today due to their ability to integrate
variable renewable energy technologies.
• PSH is arguably the only prevalent large scale energy storage system that has
proven to be reliable and effective.
• New PSH technology advancements hold the promise for greater efficiencies
and greatly improved abilities to assist in grid stabilization.
• Nearly all pumped storage development in the last 30 years has occurred in
Europe and Asia.
• While there is strong interest in the U.S. in constructing new plants, their
development may be hindered by a variety of issues related to cost, market for
ancillary benefits, and regulatory processes.

7. 7 | Wind and Water Power Technologies Office eere.energy.gov
Argonne National Laboratory
• Pumped Storage and Potential Hydropower from Conduits – Report to Congress (in
collaboration with ORNL)
• Pumped Storage Hydro: Benefits for Grid Reliability and Integration of Variable Renewable
Energy
• Modeling and Analysis of Value of Advanced Pumped Storage Hydropower in the United
States
Idaho National Laboratory
• Real-Time Dynamic and Transient Modeling of Pumped Storage Hydropower Plants (in
collaboration with ANL and NREL)
• Integrated Hydropower and Storage Systems Operation for Enhanced Grid Services (in
collaboration with ANL and NREL)
National Renewable Energy Laboratory
• Real Time Market Analysis for Pumped Storage Hydropower
Oak Ridge National Laboratory
• New Pumped Storage Hydropower in the United States: Benefits, Risks, Revenues, and
Potential
• Feasibility of Modular Pumped Storage Hydropower (m-PSH) in the United States
Program-funded Work

8. 8 | Wind and Water Power Technologies Office eere.energy.gov
Request for Information (RFI)
• A Request for Information was released on February 18 to invite input regarding
the challenges associated with PSH development in the U.S.
• The RFI asked a series of questions about the core technology and market
challenges to PSH development in the U.S. as they related to:
 Conventional (i.e. fixed speed) PSH
 Advanced (i.e. adjustable speed and ternary) PSH
 Utility-scale and small or modular PSH
• Received 15 responses from:
 Academia
 National labs
 Consultants
 Trade associations
 Equipment manufacturers
 Project developers

9. 9 | Wind and Water Power Technologies Office eere.energy.gov
Summary of RFI Responses
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
PSH Response Breakout by Category
National Labs Academia Trade Associations Equipment & Project Developers Consultants
Technology Markets Cost Other

10. 10 | Wind and Water Power Technologies Office eere.energy.gov
Wind & Water Power Technologies Office
Presentation: State of the Industry
and Research Efforts in PSH
Vladimir Koritarov
PSH Webinar
May 5, 2016
1:00 pm – 4:00 pm.

11. 11 | Wind and Water Power Technologies Office eere.energy.gov
PSH Webinar
Working Sessions

12. 12 | Wind and Water Power Technologies Office eere.energy.gov
1. What are the key industry priorities that need to be
addressed within the next five years? What about
10, 20, or 30 year priorities?
2. What can be done to address these key priorities to
decrease deployment times and decrease the cost
of pumped storage development?
a. What can DOE do?
b. What can industry do?
Working Session Questions

13. 13 | Wind and Water Power Technologies Office eere.energy.gov
PSH Webinar
Working Session 1
Modeling and Analysis Investments to
Improve Understanding and Valuation
of PSH

14. 14 | Wind and Water Power Technologies Office eere.energy.gov
• Advanced PSH development is occurring in other countries because of economic factors
rather than technical barriers
• Under current market structures PSH plants are not compensated for the variety of
services that they provide in both generation and pump mode
• Most electricity markets do not optimize the operation of PSH from the system perspective,
thus not utilizing the full benefits and capabilities of PSH technologies
• The increasing use of natural gas is suppressing peak/off-peak energy price differentials
• There are a series of emerging storage and grid management technologies (i.e. smart
meters and demand response) which are making the grid itself more flexible
• An increasingly interconnected grid means that markets and utilities can share flexibility
resources across balancing authorities, making the grid more flexible and, in turn, PSH
less valuable
• Batteries are in direct competition with PSH and are currently being built near variable
renewable resources at the MW scale as they can be constructed quickly, with fewer
regulatory hurdles, better financing terms, and shorter payback times
Working Session 1
Challenges Identified by RFI

15. 15 | Wind and Water Power Technologies Office eere.energy.gov
• Sub-hourly scheduling of PSH plants may provide for additional price arbitrage
opportunities, thus generating additional revenue streams for PSH technologies
• Additional revenue could be achieved by exploiting the versatility of adjustable-speed PSH,
such that the unit offers curtailable load for frequency regulation and demand response in
both pumping and generation mode
• Integration of new PSH technologies with variable generation can increase market
revenues above those possible when operating storage and variable generation separately
• Modular PSH located near load centers with high variability in electricity consumption could
provide significant value through voltage regulation and peak shaving and defer new
transmission and distribution infrastructure, providing sufficient benefits to justify costs
• Potential for optimization of PSH plants by grid operators (ISO/RTO) in day-ahead and
real-time markets
• Financial viability studies that examine both potential costs and revenue streams under
numerous plausible future scenarios in order to assess risk
• National analysis of the trade-offs among different storage technologies and operation
methodologies could provide insight into market opportunities for various storage
technologies as well as favorable market design characteristics
Working Session 1
Opportunities Identified by RFI

16. 16 | Wind and Water Power Technologies Office eere.energy.gov
1. What are the key industry priorities that need to be
addressed within the next five years? What about
10, 20, or 30 year priorities?
2. What can be done to address these key priorities to
decrease deployment times and decrease the cost
of pumped storage development?
a. What can DOE do?
b. What can industry do?
Working Session Questions

17. 17 | Wind and Water Power Technologies Office eere.energy.gov
PSH Webinar
Working Session 2
Technology Investments to Lower the
Cost of Energy and Deployment
Timelines

18. 18 | Wind and Water Power Technologies Office eere.energy.gov
• There is a lack of familiarity and operational experience with advanced PSH technologies
in the U.S.
• New technologies such as modular and underground PSH have not been built and
demonstrated at large scales in the U.S. and are therefore relatively unknown to investors,
developers, and utilities.
• PSH requires an upper and lower storage reservoir and water conveyance to connect
them, which is a significant infrastructure and cost challenge
• A major cost component of underground closed-loop PSH is mining and excavation
• More time is required for PSH construction compared to other technologies
• PSH may have greater operational environmental impacts than other storage technologies
Working Session 2
Challenges Identified by RFI

19. 19 | Wind and Water Power Technologies Office eere.energy.gov
• Advancements in the construction and commercial manufacturing industries (e.g.
advanced materials for water conveyance and 3D printing) could significantly impact the
development of PSH by reducing construction costs through innovative materials and
advanced designs
• Cost reduction of PSH operation is possible using advanced control strategies, such as
Fast Power Control and Fast Speed Control
• There is renewed interest among PSH owners in upgrading existing conventional PSH
plants to advanced PSH technology to obtain enhanced operational flexibility, but first it
must first be determined if such a conversion is technically feasible and cost-effective.
• Technologies that reduce costs of civil works associated with reservoir and conveyance
construction
• Affordable reversible pump-turbines at small (<10 MW) scales
Working Session 2
Opportunities Identified by RFI

20. 20 | Wind and Water Power Technologies Office eere.energy.gov
1. What are the key industry priorities that need to be
addressed within the next five years? What about
10, 20, or 30 year priorities?
2. What can be done to address these key priorities to
decrease deployment times and decrease the cost
of pumped storage development?
a. What can DOE do?
b. What can industry do?
Working Session Questions

21. 21 | Wind and Water Power Technologies Office eere.energy.gov
Thank You!
Please email any questions or additional comments to
Marisol.Bonnet@ee.doe.gov
PSH Webinar