BPA Seeks Additional Funding To Study Options For Renewable Power Storage
BPA has requested $2 million in grants from the U.S. Department of Energy to study use of pumped storage as a tool in balancing uneven power supplies from wind energy. Pump storage projects generally involve the use of wind power to pump water uphill, which is stored until energy demand increases, at which time the water is released downhill to drive energy-generating turbines. Energy Secretary Steven Chu has often promoted pump storage as a promising option for evening out wind energy output, and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission recently approved a pump storage project on the Little Potlatch Creek in Idaho. Numerous companies are investigating other potential pump storage project sites in Oregon and Washington, including Symbiotics, a Utah-based hydropower developer that also seeks to retrofit existing dams that currently do not have hydroelectric capabilities.
Post authored by David Petersen, partner practicing in the Sustainability and Real Estate and Land Use Groups.
