Coire Glas – the raging beast of pumped hydro storage
Back in December 2013 Scottish and Southern Energy PLC (SSE) was granted planning approval for the 600 MW / 30 GWh pumped hydro storage (PHS) scheme at Coire Glas, northern Scotland. At the time I wrote a post called The Coire Glas pumped storage scheme – a massive but puny beast. Almost 5 years on, and work on the scheme has not yet begun. Given that many advocates of renewable energy recognise that vast expansion of energy storage is essential as we move towards 100% renewable energy utopia, we are entitled to ask why Coire Glas has not yet been built? In fact, SSE have recently submitted an application to change the plan from 600 MW (puny) to a more raging 1500 MW beast. This may move the scheme towards profitability but it also moves the specification in the exact opposite direction of that required for storing variable wind power.What makes current PHS tick?
Most pumped hydro storage schemes in countries like the UK, France and Switzerland operate in tandem with nuclear power where surplus (low price) electricity is used to pump and store water at night, every night, to supply power into the daily peak demand (high price) that in the UK occurs at 18:00±2 hours. The facilities get used every day and make money from the predictable price arbitrage that exists in wholesale electricity markets.
Low latitude solar may tick too
At low latitudes, solar PV may also be twinned with battery storage to cover the predictable diurnal cycle where surplus day time solar PV electricity may be used at night – every day and every night. And for so long as the goal is to not disconnect from the grid, this could make sense subject to prevailing electricity costs and the capital costs of installing a PV + battery system.
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