The Modern Energy Hub.

PUMPED STORAGE HYDROPOWER

Enter pumped storage hydropower—the best-established and most economical form of utility-scale energy storage available today. Pumped storage hydro plants store energy and generate power by shifting water between two reservoirs at different elevations. rPlus Hydro is working to expand pumped storage hydropower’s contribution to grid resiliency and reliability across the United States.

A FLEXIBLE, DYNAMIC AND ECONOMICAL WAY TO STORE ENERGY AND GENERATE POWER

Pumped storage hydropower plants respond within seconds to a utility’s need to manage varying energy supply and demand. They have a wide range of operation and can achieve full output much faster than conventional peaking plants. In addition to providing hours of energy storage, pumped storage plants keep electrical systems stable by providing inertia and critical ancillary grid services such as frequency control, voltage support, and reserves. 

Once built, pumped storage hydro plants have an unmatched operational lifespan of more than 75 years.  While pumped storage has been in use for nearly a century, very few pumped storage hydro plants worldwide have ever been retired. In fact, pumped storage hydro constitutes over 90% of the energy storage capacity available on the U.S. power grid. As utilities continue to add more carbon-free but intermittent sources of energy like wind and solar, pumped storage hydropower provides the ability to store that energy and deliver it reliably to the grid when it is needed.