Scottish Power has said that the United Kingdom will require far more energy storage capacity as renewables increase on the National Grid, and is therefore busy with plans to double the size of its hydro-electric power plant, which both creates and stores energy.
Scottish Power stated that it can easily add an additional 400 megawatts (MW) of on-demand electricity by building a new dam in front of its existing dam, and is prepared to do this and accept a cap on profits if it is given a guaranteed floor price for its use from the government as the £300-£400m cost is prohibitive.
The Cruachan plant, which was originally built in 1965 to keep the lights on if a nuclear power plant went down and is located near Oban in Scotland, pumps water 400 metres uphill at night when the energy prices from wind farms is cheap and then lets the water flow back downhill during daylight hours in order to generate electricity when the demand for it is at peak and the power prices are more expensive.
According to Scottish Power’s Neil Clitheroe, “Pumped hydro is ideal because it’s relatively cheap, it’s virtually instant, and it provides power at scale. We will need much more of this sort of thing when we get more wind power on the system.”
The need for a radical improvement in the energy storage in the UK as renewables produce more and more power is something that has been recognised by Ministers and Chancellor George Osborne’s National Infrastructure Commission will offer its recommendations on the issue very soon.
A Department of Energy & Climate Change (DECC) spokesperson told the BBC in an interview: “We recognise the potential for storage technologies, including pumped hydro storage, to help us use energy flexibly. Our priority is providing clean, secure energy at the lowest possible price for families and businesses.” [Source: BBC]
Scottish Power has estimated that its pumped hydro system, which is the second biggest of four pumped hydro systems in the UK, can store the same amount of energy that can be found in 7 million car batteries.
Well, it seems like the drinking water and energy problems in the UK are I good hands and we can relax and leave it to the professionals.
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