The Prospects for Pumped Storage Hydropower in Alaska

Technical Report · Sat Jul 01 04:00:00 EDT 2023

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/1987825· OSTI ID:1987825

Koritarov, Vladimir ^[1]; Meadows, Rebecca ^[2]; Kwon, Jonghwan ^[1]; Esterly, Sean ^[2]; Balducci, Patrick ^[1]; Heimiller, Donna ^[2]; DeGeorge, Elise ^[2]; Stout, Sherry ^[2]; Clark, Caitlyn ^[2]; Ingram, Michael ^[2]; Desai, Jal ^[2]; Rosenlieb, Evan ^[2]

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1. Argonne National Laboratory (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States)
2. National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)

Key Takeaways: The resource mapping analysis confirmed that numerous locations in Alaska are suitable for the development of pumped storage hydropower (PSH) projects, both larger grid scale projects and smaller projects that could be suitable for remote communities; The resource assessment for larger, grid-scale projects showed the potential for more than 1,800 closed-loop systems in Alaska, with a total energy storage capacity of about 4 terawatt hours (TWh); Because of their small reservoir sizes and dam heights, many locations were identified as potentially suitable for small-scale PSH systems. Nearly 50% of the identified potentially suitable small-scale PSH sites are in Southeast Alaska; PSH candidate sites were part of the optimal capacity expansion solution in all scenarios analyzed for the Railbelt system. Depending on the scenario, the new PSH capacity that the model selected for the analysis period until 2046 ranged from 300 MW to 600 MW. The locations and timing of new PSH investments vary in different scenarios; Lithium-ion batteries were also selected a source of new generating capacity in all analyzed scenarios for the Railbelt system, indicating that the system will need a mix of short- and long-duration energy storage to support variable renewable energy sources and provide system reliability in the future; For rural communities, analysis results showed that PSH suitability is very site-specific; in addition to diesel fuel costs and PSH capital costs, suitability depends heavily on available renewable resources and existing infrastructure (e.g., reservoirs, transmission access and construction road access); The analysis for rural communities also showed that PSH projects with 10-hour energy storage are likely to be more economical for remote community applications in Alaska than those with larger reservoirs that could provide 10 days of energy storage; Lithium-ion batteries seem to be an economically more viable energy storage option for small, remote communities in Alaska.

• Research Organization: Argonne National Laboratory (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), Renewable Power Office. Water Power Technologies Office
• DOE Contract Number: AC02-06CH11357; AC36-08GO28308
• OSTI ID: 1987825
• Report Number(s): ANL--23/17; 183313
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

13 HYDRO ENERGY
Alaska Railbelt System
Pumped Storage Hydropower