Wind power pumped storage system for hydropower plants

Abstract

In this thesis, an idea to use a wind pumped storage system to pump water from a lower reservoir to an upper reservoir and use it to reduce the construction size of a new reservoir or to increase electricity production in a hydropower plant, is presented. Instead of using a wind turbine to produce electricity to drive the pumps, a shaft is proposed to connect the wind turbine and the pumps. A profitability assessment is performed for the reservoir reduction and the electricity production. A wind pumped storage system for a hydropower plant with shaft driven pumps is not widely utilized today. Capital cost estimates and a profitability assessment reveal the feasibility of field usage.