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INTRODUCTION
Pumped-storage hydro is one of the most promising sources of peaking power available at the present time. It has been thoroughly proven through actual operation at dozens of plants throughout the world, and unlike most other peaking...
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A pumped-storage plant acts much the same way that a giant storage battery would—that is, energy generated by other sources within the system can be stored for later use during periods of high demand. The diagram (Figure 1) shows how stored...
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region and to identify those sites which have potential for inclusion in the water resources development plan for the Columbia River and Tributaries.
PURPOSE AND SCOPE
This report was prepared in response to the 1975 Congressional...
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and pumping the equivalent of about eight hours at night. In a 24-hour cycle the water in the upper reservoir would be completely recycled. Total reservoir storage would be relatively small. This type of operation requires large amounts of...
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released at times of the year when the system power demand is highest. Seasonal operation would add a certain amount of "operating flexibility" to the system—energy could be stored at convenient times and irregular intervals. The seasonal plant...
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PUMPED-STORAGE AND THE AREA
Description of the Region. The Pacific Northwest is a well-defined area, both economically and geographically. It consists of the U.S. portion of the Columbia River Basin and the area drained by the coastal streams...
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The Need for Pumped-Storage. For many years power planner's have recognized the pumped-storage potential of the Pacific Northwest. Specific pumped-storage sites were discussed in earlier Corps of Engineers' planning reports1,2. However, at that...
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on pumped-storage have been confined to specific sites or river basins. In reports on river basin development for the Trask 3 and Nehalem Rivers 4 in Oregon, for example, some pumped-storage potential was listed; but it was generally on a...
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several things. It outlined procedures and criteria to be used in evaluating the pumped-storage potential of an area, and it inventoried the sites in western Oregon and Washington. It also included some discussion of the timing and role of...
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These projects are briefly described below. Also described are a number of other potential projects that have received some publicity but are not currently receiving active consideration.
Antilon Lake. In October, 1971, Chelan County Public...
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mw reversible units operating under a head of about 1,200 feet. Operation would be on a daily/weekly basis. A limited amount of reserve storage would be provided for longer periods of operation during the winter months of high peak demand....
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Grand Coulee Pumping Plant. The first pumped-storage generation in the Pacific Northwest has been developed at the Bureau of Reclamation's Grand Coulee Project in Washington, where reversible pump-turbines are being installed in the existing...
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daily/weekly periods of low power demand. As daily power demands increase, the flow can be reversed through the pump-turbines and power generated to meet peak demands. Two 50 mw units were placed in operation in 1974, and four more are planned....
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units having a combined nameplate capacity of 65 mw would have been installed, along with a single conventional unit. The project would have utilized the 672 feet of head existing between a proposed reservoir on the Chiwawa River and Wenatchee...
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during the irrigation season and as a pumped-storage plant from November through March on a daily or weekly cycle. However, this plan is dependent on additional upstream storage at Twin Springs Reservoir, on the North Fork Boise River, and this is...
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regulations for multiple purposes (mentioned above), together with daily/weekly cycling capacity, identifies about 1,500 mw of generating potential. This study is presently inactive 15.
Paterson Ridge. The Paterson Ridge pumped-storage site...
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Image caption: Potential pumped-storage sites on Upper Cispus River, Lower Columbia Subregion: Dark Meadow (577) and Green Mountain (576), view looking easterly.
Image details: MT. ADAMS TUNNEL PENSTOCK LOWER RESERVOIR UPPER RESERVOIR CISPUS... |
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INVENTORY OF SITES
GENERAL
The majority of this inventory concentrates on pumped-storage sites capable of operating on a weekly cycle basis—only a few sites were found which could be classified as seasonal plants. The study was based on a...
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Topography. Topography is perhaps the key to the success of any pumped-storage site because the topography of the site defines such important factors as head, reservoir storage, length of penstock, and construction considerations.
Plant...
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It has been estimated that after 1990 the northwest power system could use a block of pumped-storage generation capable of operating weekdays, up to 6 hours at full rated capacity. To accomplish this, with the limited amount of nighttime pumping...
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Reservoir Capacities. Reservoir size is governed by usable storage requirements, the allowable drawdown, and in the case of the lower reservoirs, the amount of pump-turbine submergence required. The usable storage requirements are a function of...
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It is quite probable the first plants that will be built in the Pacific Northwest will require greater amounts of storage than are listed in this inventory. Greater amounts of storage would provide additional plant flexibility—the plant could...
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Head. To minimize costs, sites were sought which had fairly high heads. At higher heads, less water is required per unit of generation, and as a result it is possible to reduce the costs of the pump-turbine/motorgenerator equipment, the diameter...
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Source of Energy. It was assumed that low-cost, off-peak energy would be available from thermal plants.
The Pacific Northwest is now undergoing a transition from an almost exclusively hydroelectric power system to a hydrothermal system. Until...
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