UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — Pumped Storage Hydropower

Q1. With reference to the working of a pumped storage hydropower project, consider the following statements: Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. During the pumping phase, the project draws electricity from the grid and therefore behaves as a load rather than as a generator.
  2. The energy a project can store depends only on the volume of water held in the upper reservoir and not on the height difference between the two reservoirs.
  3. Energy is held in the form of gravitational potential energy of water raised to the upper reservoir.
  • A. 1 and 3 only
  • B. 2 and 3 only
  • C. 1, 2 and 3
  • D. 1 only

Q2. Consider the following statements: Which of the following is correct in respect of the above statements?

  1. A pumped storage project is treated as an energy storage system rather than as a primary source of new renewable electricity.
  2. A pumped storage project generates electricity at peak hours from water lifted to its upper reservoir using power produced by its own turbines in the previous generation cycle, so it needs no external power input.
  • A. Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct and Statement-II explains Statement-I
  • B. Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct, but Statement-II does not explain Statement-I
  • C. Statement-I is correct, but Statement-II is incorrect
  • D. Statement-I is incorrect, but Statement-II is correct

Q3. With reference to pumped storage projects (PSPs) and battery energy storage systems (BESS), consider the following statements: Which of the statements given above are correct?

  1. BESS can be installed close to generation or consumption centres, whereas the siting of PSPs is constrained by topography and geology.
  2. PSPs are suited to shifting large quantities of electricity across long periods of surplus and demand.
  3. Frequency regulation can be provided by BESS but lies outside the range of services that PSPs can offer to the grid.
  4. PSPs can provide black start capability, that is, help restart a grid section without relying on external supply.
  • A. 1 and 2 only
  • B. 2, 3 and 4 only
  • C. 1, 2, 3 and 4
  • D. 1, 2 and 4 only

Q4. Consider the following facts: The Central Electricity Authority projects India's energy storage capacity in 2031–32 at about 74 GW, of which about 47 GW is battery energy storage and about 27 GW is pumped storage. India's identified pumped storage potential is about 345 GW. Pumped storage is suited to long-duration storage, while batteries respond rapidly to short-duration needs. Which of the following inferences can be drawn from the above?

  1. India's storage planning relies on two technologies serving different time scales of grid need rather than on a single technology.
  2. The pumped storage capacity projected for 2031–32 is limited mainly by a shortage of physically suitable sites in India.
  3. Battery storage is expected to make pumped storage redundant in India by 2031–32.
  • A. 2 and 3 only
  • B. 1 only
  • C. 1 and 2 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 3

Q5. Suppose the share of solar and wind power in India's electricity mix rises sharply. Consider the following likely consequences: Which of the above are likely consequences?

  1. The need to store midday surplus solar power for supply during the evening demand peak increases.
  2. Storage that absorbs surplus power in low-demand hours becomes more useful for avoiding the waste of renewable output.
  3. The value of resources that respond rapidly to short-term fluctuations in supply, such as for frequency regulation, increases.
  • A. 2 and 3 only
  • B. 1 and 3 only
  • C. 1, 2 and 3
  • D. 1 and 2 only

Q6. Consider the following assertion: 'Large-scale energy storage is necessary for India to meet its 2030 non-fossil capacity target without compromising the reliability of electricity supply.' Which of the statements given below support the above assertion?

  1. Solar and wind generation varies with sunlight, weather and time of day and does not follow the daily demand curve.
  2. India's peak electricity demand has crossed 240 GW and must be met reliably, including at hours when solar output is unavailable.
  3. India's highest pumped storage potential lies in its Western Region.
  • A. 1, 2 and 3
  • B. 1 only
  • C. 2 and 3 only
  • D. 1 and 2 only

Q7. A State government wants to locate sites where pumped storage projects can store the most energy for a given volume of water in their reservoirs. Which of the following landscapes would be most favourable?

  • A. A wide arid plateau of low relief drained by a few seasonal streams
  • B. A plateau edge dropping abruptly to a coastal plain within a few kilometres
  • C. A low-lying river delta with extensive wetlands and heavy rainfall all year
  • D. A broad alluvial plain crossed by large perennial rivers with abundant groundwater