Pumped storage hydropower
Also called: PSP · Topic: Energy Resources of India: Conventional and Non-conventional · NCERT: Beyond NCERT
Meaning
Pumped storage hydropower works like a giant battery made of water. It uses two reservoirs, one higher than the other. When power is cheap or solar power is plentiful, water is pumped up to the upper reservoir. At peak demand, the water flows back down through turbines and makes electricity. Sun and wind do not give steady power, so this storage helps keep the grid stable.
Example
New pumped storage projects are planned in the hilly Western Ghats and in Andhra Pradesh. There, steep slopes make it easy to place one reservoir high above another.
Don't confuse with
- Run-of-the-river or dam hydropower: makes power from water flowing downhill only once. Pumped storage uses the same water again and again and uses more power than it gives back. Its value is in shifting power to the hours when it is needed.