Modeling pumped hydro storage with the micropower optimization model (HOMER)

Most renewable energy technologies suffer from an intermittent characteristic due to the diurnal and seasonal patterns of the natural resources needed for power generation; therefore, a complementary energy storage system must be considered. The pumped hydropower plant is a suitable alternative to consider as an energy storage device for hybrid systems. The hybrid optimization model for electric renewables (HOMER) optimization model is widely used around the globe for designing, comparing, or evaluating the performance of hybrid power systems, but it does not include an explicit component to model a pumped hydropower facility. This paper describes a method for representing a pumped hydropower plant by creating an equivalent battery in HOMER, and the procedure was accompanied by a detailed example. An additional example of a wind-hydro hybrid power system with controlled parameters is presented to validate the method. The results support that the procedure explained in this paper adequately represents the pumped hydropower plant as an equivalent battery.