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This paper reviews the status of underground pumped hydro storage (UPHS) for electric utility peaking and energy-storage applications. The salient features of major recent studies are reviewed. Turbomachinery options and advances in high-head pump/turbines are discussed. The effect of head, capacity, turbomachinery unit size and type, and other performance variables on die cost of a UPHS plant are presented. Market potential, siting criteria, lower reservoir construction, and geologically-related issues are addressed. The environmental impact of a UPHS plant is deduced from comparable facilities, and these issues and other safety concerns are presented. UPHS is an economically viable scheme for energy-storage and peaking applications in which considerable savings in premium fuels can be achieved through the replacement of combustion gas turbines. The technology for UPHS is available, but additional research and development are required for high-head turbomachinery, motor/generators, cavern geology, and system optimization.
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Tam et al. (1979) studied this question.
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