Lecture

Hydropower Infrastructure: Pumped Storage Facilities

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In course

CIVIL-412: Hydraulic and hydroelectric structures and schemes

La conception générale et l'agencement des différentes infrastructures et batteries hydroélectriques, avec le dimensionnement de leurs ouvrages hydrauliques principaux. ...

Description

This lecture discusses the infrastructure and operation of pumped storage facilities for hydropower, focusing on the Swiss context. It covers the importance of water storage for energy purposes, different types of turbines, high-head mixed storage schemes, and the challenges of flexibility versus fatigue in energy production. The instructor explains the concept of water storage, the energy produced in a hydrological year, and the balance of greenhouse gases. The lecture also explores the current energy equivalent of Swiss storage reservoirs, the outlook for Swiss hydropower, and the challenges and future developments in the field.

Instructors (2)

Giovanni De Cesare

Expertise Numerical simulation and physical modeling of hydraulic works and schemes; reservoir sedimentation and turbidity currents; reservoir sediment management; Ultrasonic Doppler flow measurement; river training work and restoration; soil bioengineering and nature based solutions; fluvial eco-morphology; rapid transients in pressurized waterways; technology transfer, commissioned studies and expert reports in applied hydraulics, hydraulic constructions and infrastructures; organization of continuous edu

Pedro Filipe De Almeida Manso

Expertise Dams & hydraulic structures, Hydropower (large/small/pumped-storage), Hydrology & Water Resources, Hydraulic modellingRock scour, Sediment management, Air-water-rock interaction, Fluid-structure/interface interactionFeasibility studies, Project & Team Management Expertise Dams & hydraulic structures, Hydropower (large/small/pumped-storage), Hydrology & Water Resources, Hydraulic modellingRock scour, Sediment management, Air-water-rock interaction, Fluid-structure/interface interactionFeasibility s

Official source

Ontological neighbourhood

Environmental science

Environmental policy: Topics in environmental policy

Related concepts (32)

Pumped-storage hydroelectricity

Pumped-storage hydroelectricity (PSH), or pumped hydroelectric energy storage (PHES), is a type of hydroelectric energy storage used by electric power systems for load balancing. The method stores energy in the form of gravitational potential energy of water, pumped from a lower elevation reservoir to a higher elevation. Low-cost surplus off-peak electric power is typically used to run the pumps. During periods of high electrical demand, the stored water is released through turbines to produce electric power.

Energy development

Energy development is the field of activities focused on obtaining sources of energy from natural resources. These activities include the production of renewable, nuclear, and fossil fuel derived sources of energy, and for the recovery and reuse of energy that would otherwise be wasted. Energy conservation and efficiency measures reduce the demand for energy development, and can have benefits to society with improvements to environmental issues.

World energy supply and consumption

World energy supply and consumption refers to the global production and consumption of primary energy. Energy can be consumed in various different forms, as processed fuels or electricity, or for various different purposes, like for transportation or electricity generation. Energy production and consumption are an important part of the economy. This topic includes heat, but not energy from food. This article provides a brief overview of energy supply and consumption, using statistics summarized in tables, of the countries and regions that produce and consume the most energy.

Hydroelectricity

Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies one sixth of the world's electricity, almost 4500 TWh in 2020, which is more than all other renewable sources combined and also more than nuclear power. Hydropower can provide large amounts of low-carbon electricity on demand, making it a key element for creating secure and clean electricity supply systems.

Greenhouse gas

Greenhouse gases are those gases in the atmosphere that raise the surface temperature of planets such as the Earth. What distinguishes them from other gases is that they absorb the wavelengths of radiation that a planet emits, resulting in the greenhouse effect. The Earth is warmed by sunlight, causing its surface to radiate heat, which is then mostly absorbed by water vapor (), carbon dioxide (), methane (), nitrous oxide (), and ozone (). Without greenhouse gases, the average temperature of Earth's surface would be about , rather than the present average of .

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