scholarly journals Economic Feasibility of Semi-Underground Pumped Storage Hydro Power Plants in Open Pit Mines

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Wessel ◽  
Reinhard Madlener ◽  
Christoph Hilgers
Keyword(s):  
Power Plants ◽  
Economic Feasibility ◽  
Open Pit ◽  
Open Pit Mines ◽  
Hydro Power ◽  
Hydro Power Plants ◽  
Pumped Storage

scholarly journals An Exploratory Economic Analysis of Underground Pumped-Storage Hydro Power Plants in Abandoned Deep Coal Mines

Energies ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (21) ◽  
pp. 5634
Author(s):  
Reinhard Madlener ◽  
Jan Martin Specht
Keyword(s):  
Power Plants ◽  
Underground Mining ◽  
Coal Mines ◽  
Energy Transition ◽  
Economic Feasibility ◽  
Hard Coal ◽  
Mountainous Area ◽  
Hydro Power ◽  
Hydro Power Plants ◽  
Pumped Storage

This study researches the concept of underground pumped-storage hydro power plants in closed-down underground hard coal mines in Germany. After a review on how this could be realized technically, an economic feasibility analysis is presented, with a particular focus on the costs for the underground storage reservoir. The analysis is performed for different lower (i.e., underground) reservoir sizes and temporal arbitrage potentials (peak/off-peak electricity price spreads), and cost uncertainty is dealt with by means of a Monte Carlo simulation for two distinct head heights. The findings regarding costs and acceptability are compared with those of a classic (on-surface) pumped-storage hydro power plant in a mountainous area. Based on a techno-economic evaluation we conclude that under favorable conditions the realization of underground pumped-storage hydro power (UPSHP) plants seems both technically feasible and economically reasonable. More specifically, an extension of a tubular system seems the most promising option. A UPSHP plant in a mineshaft is probably slightly more expensive than a conventional one, an outcome that depends strongly on the feasible head height. However, the significant reduction of the adverse impacts on the landscape and on local residents, as well as a potentially large number of feasible sites in flat terrain, could make UPSHPs an interesting option for the future energy transition, not just in Germany but worldwide at sites where underground mining is being abandoned.

scholarly journals Dimensioning Studies for Reversible Hydro Power Plants in Portuguese Islands

2018 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 77-86
Author(s):  
Nuno Fonseca ◽  
André Madureira ◽  
João Peças Lopes ◽  
Manuel Matos
Keyword(s):  
Power Plant ◽  
Power Systems ◽  
Power Plants ◽  
Hydro Power ◽  
Power Resources ◽  
Hydro Power Plants ◽  
Pumped Storage ◽  
Energetic Level ◽  
Energy Surplus ◽  
The Ideal

This work is within the scope of set of consultancy studies made for Portuguese islands. It focuses on the integration of Pumped Storage Power in isolated islands. The paper starts to address several power systems circumstances about two Portuguese islands on the energetic level. For each of these islands, an independent examination of the conditions to install a reversible hydro power plant is accomplished. Therefore, the energy volume to be stored due to excess of renewable generation and the ideal power and number of the pumps and turbines to be installed were identified and evaluated for the sake of using the produced energy surplus as to be pumped and later generated. The paper enhances the importance of storing energy in the operation of isolated and small systems with considerable amount of intermittent power resources as well as the conditions for the viability of installing new exploitations of this kind.

A simple method to evaluate the technical and economic feasibility of micro hydro power plants in existing irrigation systems

2016 ◽  
Vol 85 ◽  
pp. 498-506 ◽  
Author(s):  
Demetrio Antonio Zema ◽  
Angelo Nicotra ◽  
Vincenzo Tamburino ◽  
Santo Marcello Zimbone
Keyword(s):  
Power Plants ◽  
Economic Feasibility ◽  
Irrigation Systems ◽  
Simple Method ◽  
Hydro Power ◽  
Hydro Power Plants

scholarly journals Method for Unit Commitment of Thermal and Pumped-storage Hydro Power Plants

1994 ◽  
Vol 114 (12) ◽  
pp. 1220-1226 ◽  
Author(s):  
Motonobu Yoshikawa ◽  
Hiroshi Nakajima ◽  
Yoshiyuki Kurebayashi ◽  
Toshiyuki Sawa ◽  
Mitsuo Kinoshita ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Power Plants ◽  
Unit Commitment ◽  
Hydro Power ◽  
Hydro Power Plants ◽  
Pumped Storage

scholarly journals Effect of Symmetrically Switched Rectifier Topologies on the Frequency Regulation of Standalone Micro-Hydro Power Plants

Energies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (11) ◽  
pp. 3201
Author(s):  
Henry Bory ◽  
Jose L. Martin ◽  
Iñigo Martinez de Alegria ◽  
Luis Vazquez
Keyword(s):  
Power Factor ◽  
Power Plants ◽  
Reactive Power ◽  
Alternating Current ◽  
Frequency Regulation ◽  
Hydro Power ◽  
Major Energy Source ◽  
Hydro Power Plants ◽  
Electronic Load ◽  
Ac Converters

Micro-hydro power plants (μHPPs) are a major energy source in grid-isolated zones because they do not require reservoirs and dams to be built. μHPPs operate in a standalone mode, but a continuously varying load generates voltage unbalances and frequency fluctuations which can cause long-term damage to plant components. One method of frequency regulation is the use of alternating current-alternating current (AC-AC) converters as an electronic load controller (ELC). The disadvantage of AC-AC converters is reactive power consumption with the associated decrease in both the power factor and the capacity of the alternator to deliver current. To avoid this disadvantage, we proposed two rectifier topologies combined with symmetrical switching. However, the performance of the frequency regulation loop with each topology remains unknown. Therefore, the objective of this work was to evaluate the performance of the frequency regulation loop when each topology, with a symmetrical switching form, was inserted. A MATLAB® model was implemented to simulate the frequency loop. The results from a μHPP case study in a small Cuban rural community called ‘Los Gallegos’ showed that the performance of the frequency regulation loop using the proposed topologies satisfied the standard frequency regulation and increased both the power factor and current delivery capabilities of the alternator.

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