The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power has proposed a $3bn scheme to add pumped storage to the Hoover Dam hydropower plant. The project envisages building a pumping station - powered by solar and wind energy - about 50 miles downstream from the dam by 2028. The station would pump water back upstream through a pipeline. Because the dam is on federal land the project would need approval from the US Bureau of Reclamation. Lazard estimates the levelised cost of energy for utility-scale lithium-ion batteries is 26 cents per KWh compared with 15 cents/KWh for pumped-storage.
The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power has proposed a $3bn scheme to add pumped storage to the Hoover Dam hydropower plant. The project envisages building a pumping station - powered by solar and wind energy - 20 miles downstream from the dam by 2028. The station would pump water back upstream through a pipeline. Because the dam is on federal land the project would need approval from the US Bureau of Reclamation. Lazard estimates the levelised cost of energy for utility-scale lithium-ion batteries is 26 cents per KWh compared with 15 cents/KWh for pumped-storage.