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Pumped storage - How small can you go?

Article in International Water Power and Dam Construction · June 2017

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 Pumped storage Pumped storage

How small Pumped proposals

Innovative pumped storage at Negundo innovation centre

can you go?

A few authors have proposed pumped hydro
energy storage for buildings. Fonseca and In Froyennes, Belgium, an innovative pumped hydro storage system is being built in the
Negundo innovation centre [5]. The installation uses an existing 1500m3 artificial basin for
Schlueter [2] proposed such a system for an
rainwater collection as the upper reservoir (figure 3) and an underground 625m3 lower
informal community of 3000 people, occupying an
reservoir (figure 4) with the available head ranging from 6 to 10m. Both are connected by a
abandoned complex of five unfinished buildings in 70m long, 30cm diameter underground polyethylene pipe featuring a 10.5kW Ensival-Moret
Caracas. They imagined distributed water tanks, single-stage, centrifugal pump fit with a variable frequency driver (figure 5) allowing a
due to load floor limits, through different floors hydraulic efficiency of 83% in pump mode and 73% in turbine mode. The installation sits well
coupled to the building’s water infrastructure. With in the Negundo innovation centre as a demonstrator not only for integrated pumped hydro
Distributed energy storage in buildings is expected to play an increasing role in the future energy a storage capacity of 85kWh, the system was more but also for an exemplary building complex already fit with solar panels, wind turbines, and
transition. As pumped hydro is by far the most successful storage technology, Guilherme Silva asks expensive than using lead-acid batteries but the batteries. The installation was also designed as a test rig for hydraulic equipment, a place
where manufacturers can bring their own equipment and test it under a variety of conditions.
does this prompt the question: could pumped storage be used on a much smaller scale in buildings? authors defended that externalities such as water
security of supply and technological simplicity Looking back at the project which started in 2014, Alessandro Morabito, one of the engineers
rendered it the best choice. behind the project, points out the civil works and the design of the hydraulic machine as the
Figure 1: Upper reservoir of the Stoppato et al [3] also proposed a small-scale biggest challenges: “Picking a reversible machine that can work efficiently with a variable
head for such small capacities is no easy task and the engineering people did a great job in
Goudemand residence pumped pumped hydro storage, although not in a building,
fitting the lower reservoir among the existing buildings”. Meanwhile, the place is mostly ready,
storage hydro (in 2015). coupled to a cogeneration system, batteries, and
just waiting for the reservoirs to fill up with rainwater. Then it is just a matter of getting
PV in order to supply electricity, heat, and water
everything to work together, says Alessandro, one headache at a time.
to a resort of 170 people in Italy. Despite the
optimistic input values, optimisation resulted in
two 175m3 artificial concrete reservoirs, placed tanks, at a height difference of 100m, with a in 2012, part of the common areas were rendered
at a height difference of 50m, for a storage 40kWh storage capacity. A multistage centrifugal grid-independent using solar panels, wind
capacity of 24kWh. Using a reversible 7kW pump, pump is used for pumping while another is turbines, batteries, and an integrated pumped
the pumped storage project would increase reversed and used as a turbine. A variable- storage project [1]. To the author’s knowledge, it is
the lifetime of the 148kWh lead-acid battery frequency drive adjusts the pump rotation the first existing installation of its kind. It is part
by reducing the discharge rate and depth-of- speed according to the available excess power. of a larger renovation where the electricity use in
discharge. Again, externalities such as technology No references are made to the economics of the common areas (except for the lift) was also
simplicity and greenhouse gas emissions the project but the system, with an estimated reduced by about 80%, through the replacement
mitigation were presented as important efficiency of about 30%, is also used for irrigation of intercoms for more efficient models and
externalities, especially for a resort. and household water supply, with the easy lighting for more efficient LED models coupled to
Manolakos et al [4] described an existing maintenance being a crucial advantage. presence and light sensors. Electricity generation
pumped storage hydro scheme for a remote is provided by a 2.2kW photovoltaic installation
village of 13 homes in a Greek island, coupled Enter the Goudemand residence and two 500W vertical-axis wind turbines which,
to 18kW photovoltaics and a 100Ah lead-acid The Goudemand residence is an apartment meanwhile, have been deactivated and replaced
battery. The project consists of two 150m3 water building complex located in Arras, France where, by different models. The pumped hydro makes

Figure 3: Upper reservoir of the Froyennes project (in 2017).

R
epresenting such an important share of energy use and with most renewable energy for such small installations. Therefore, it seems
of energy use, it is no surprise that sources being of a distributed nature, distributed intuitive that making pumped storage competitive
buildings are one of the first elements energy storage in buildings is expected to play an on a small scale, especially in buildings, would be
to tackle for fighting climate change and the increasing role in the future energy transition. challenging but the question still stands on how
dependence on fossil fuels. Inside buildings, Among the different energy storage small can one go. How small is it still feasible?
appliances are becoming more efficient, mostly technologies, pumped storage hydro is by far
due to strong energy use standards, while the most successful technology, representing
the buildings themselves enjoy new design most of the installed storage capacity worldwide,
processes that further optimise their behaviour. although for large installations. This prompts the
Construction technology is also keeping up, with question on whether such technology could be
new materials and techniques that embrace the used on a much smaller scale, namely in buildings,
transition while renewable energy sources, such given its simplicity and possible synergies with
as solar panels for water heating or electricity the existing water infrastructure. The physics,
production through photovoltaics, are even however, are demanding: the limited floor loads
allowing for buildings that produce more energy and height of the buildings would lead to low
than what they use on an annual average. energy density which means low energy storage
The problem with most renewables is that capacity. The economics also seem challenging:
their generation is variable in nature. One solution large installations are competitive since, with
to solve that variability is to use energy storage, minimum civil works, a large storage capacity can
effectively decoupling the required timely be obtained from a geographically suitable site. In Figure 2: Lower reservoir and Pelton turbine
match between energy generation and use. With a building, however, everything would have to be of the Goudemand residence pumped storage
buildings representing such an important share built and economies of scale would not be present hydro (in 2015).

8 Pumped storage June 2017 Follow

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 Pumped storage

Left – Figure 4: Underground lower reservoir of the

Froyennes pumped hydro storage (in 2017).

Above – Figure 5: Reversible hydraulic machine of the

Froyennes project (in 2017).

use of the 30m height of the building to store plastic water tank can be used with an average have a 90% efficiency, although with a shorter
water in the 200m2 roof reservoir, up to 60m3 cost of €300/m3 for a vertical cylindrical plastic lifetime. The use of an existing lower reservoir,
at a depth of 30cm (figure 1). It was built by tank, plus installation. For the hydraulic machinery, for instance for a building close to a canal, would
waterproofing the roof and existing surrounding the bigger the better in terms of efficiency and lower the cost close to €19,000 which is still far
walls with the contractor estimating that such economies of scale. Efficiency ranges from 50-60% from competitive. Further synergies, namely with
configuration brought an additional cost of €700 and cost from €2-4/W for a centrifugal pump with the existing water infrastructure of the building,
to a typical roof waterproofing of €10000. The a head of 5-20m and a hydraulic power capacity are difficult to justify given the very different
reservoir is only fully emptied for the annual clean of 0.5-1.0kW. An electronically-controlled pump dimensioning requirements and the strict potable
of accumulated plastic bags and dead birds, could, under the same conditions, raise the water norms. Therefore, despite being technically
increasing the lifetime of the waterproofing and efficiency to 60-70% but, with a cost of €4-6/W, the feasible, pumped storage is too expensive for
avoiding trespassers on the wind turbines. increased efficiency does not prove a good trade- small-scale installations, namely in buildings,
The lower reservoir is located in the basement, off. On the other hand, small turbines are difficult since it misses on the synergies and economies of
consisting of five rectangular 10m3 plastic water to come by. The typical solution is to use a pump scale that render large installations competitive.
tanks (figure 2) connected to the upper part by in reverse, an area where some manufacturers Also, while other storage technologies are
a 450W Pelton turbine and an 18W electrovalve have a large experience but where data is still quickly getting cheaper, the maturity of pumped
while pumping is ensured by a 1.5kW multistage scarce. Nevertheless, literature suggests that storage hydro contradicts any strong future
pump. The 3.5kWh useful energy capacity of peak efficiency in turbine mode is the same as in improvements which, coupled with its low energy
the project is small compared to the 24kWh of pump mode, but for higher head and flow values. density, seems to make it a losing contender for
the lead-acid battery, but proves essential in Therefore, round trip efficiency would be around energy storage in buildings. ■
extending the battery’s lifetime of about 1000 25-35% which is quite low when compared to
cycles. The system is set to provide local energy batteries which boast values closer to 90%. But
References
generation to the common areas of the residence, efficiency itself is only important if the energy
[1] G. Silva and P. Hendrick. Pumped hydro
with the remaining recharging the battery, and input cost is high, since that would also render the
energy storage in buildings. Applied energy
finally the pumped hydro storage. When the local energy losses expensive. Piping is about €100/m,
179 (2016) 1242-1250.
energy generation is not sufficient to supply the while the control system stands for an almost
[2] J. Fonseca and A. Schlueter. A novel
common areas, the battery starts discharging fixed average cost of €7000. Other costs, such as
approach for decentralized energy supply
down to a certain depth-of-discharge until the certification, are mostly fixed and can reach up and energy storage of tall buildings in Latin
pumped hydro kicks in, feeding the local load and to €3000. America based on renewable energy
recharging the battery [1]. Putting it all together in a 20m height building sources: Case study - Informal vertical
The economics of the project are not publically with a 200m2 roof surface, one ends up with a community Torre David, Caracas - Venezu-
available but the contractor estimates the entire €46,000 pumped storage schem with a 2.2kWh ela. Energy 53 (2013) 93-115.
renovation at about €150,000. Nevertheless, electrical energy output. The results look grim [3] A. Stoppato et al. A model for the
contractors and equipment suppliers indicated knowing that a similar lithium-ion battery optimal design and management of a
lower average cost estimates of €38,000 for the installation would cost less than €4000 and cogeneration system with energy storage.
pumped hydro, €35,000 for the remaining energy Energy and buildings 124 (2016) 241-247.
production and storage equipment, and €27,000 [4] D. Manolakos et al. A stand-alone
Author information photovoltaic power system for remote
for the energy efficiency measures [1].
The author is a Researcher at Université villages using pumped water energy
Libre de Bruxelles. He has been carrying storage. Energy 29 (2004) 57-69.
Getting the numbers right
out research into the electric power [5] A. Morabito et al. Set-up of a pump as
A pumped storage project requires six basic industry, namely the impact of market
components: two reservoirs, a pump, a turbine,
turbine use in micro-pumped hydro energy
liberalisation and the increased share of storage: a case of study in Froyennes
piping, and a control system. For the reservoirs, a renewable energy sources and storage. Belgium. Journal of Physics: Conf. Series
waterproofed structure can be used for low cost, Email: goliveir@ulb.ac.be 813 (2017) 012033.
as seen in the Goudemand residence. Otherwise, a

10 Pumped storage June 2017

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