Pathway 5.

Electricity Decarbonization → Hydropower

5.5.3 Promoting Pumped Storage Hydro Facilities

LPDD Recommendation: “Congress should define new, fast-track licensing parameters that apply only to pumped storage projects, or even just closed-loop systems.”

LPDD Recommendation: “State PUCs should direct their regulated electric utilities to evaluate the need for and benefits of grid-scale storage such as pumped storage hydro.”

10 Resources Found, Displaying 1 thru 10

Colorado’s HB 1052

Jurisdiction: State Legislatures

Defines pumped hydro as renewable energy.

California’s AB 33

Jurisdiction: State Legislatures

Requires the CPUC to evaluate the potential for all types of long-duration bulk energy storage resources, including pumped hydroelectric storage, to help integrate renewable energy resources into the electric grid.

FERC rule on pumped storage in RTO and ISO markets

Jurisdiction: Individual Agencies

Allows energy storage resources (including pumped storage) to more fully participate in organized electricity markets by removing barriers to these resources in the capacity, energy, and ancillary services markets operated by ISOs and RTOs.

FERC policy statement on pumped storage in transmission markets

Jurisdiction: Individual Agencies

Affirming that storage resources (including pumped storage) can serve as transmission assets, and therefore receive multiple revenue streams in organized markets.

FERC Order 890

Jurisdiction: Individual Agencies

Required that non-generation resources be evaluated on a comparable basis to services provided by generation resources, including hydro pumped storage.

HydroWIRES

Jurisdiction: Individual Agencies

DOE initiative to understand, enable, and improve hydropower and pumped storage hydro’s contributions to reliability, resilience, and integration in a rapidly evolving electricity system.

DOE report, Energy Storage Technology and Cost Characterization Report

Jurisdiction: Individual Agencies

Defines and evaluates cost and performance parameters of six battery energy storage technologies and four non-BESS storage technologies, including pumped hydro.

IEA report, Flexible hydropower providing value to renewable energy integration

Jurisdiction: Congress, States and State Governments

Provides a global perspective on the need for flexibility to enable renewable integration and hydropower’s capabilities to provide this flexibility across a range of time scales.

Report, Pumped Storage: 5 Misperceptions About Licensing

Jurisdiction: Federal Agencies and Departments

Surveys the extent to which mandatory licensing requirements apply to pumped storage projects.

Report, Challenges and Opportunities for New Pumped Storage Development

Jurisdiction: Congress, States and State Governments

Surveys the potential for hydropower pumped storage to support greater grid reliability, as well as the obstacles posed by current market structures and regulatory frameworks.