Abstract Pumped Storage Hydropower (PSH) systems are pivotal for global energy transition, offering the largest utility-scale energy storage capacity (182 GW by 2023) and enabling integration of variable renewables like solar and wind. This review highlights PSH’s role in grid resilience, climate adaptation, and decarbonization, emphasizing its ability to provide ancillary services such as frequency regulation and black-start capabilities. Despite its advantages, PSH faces challenges including high capital costs (1, 700—4, 700/kW), geographic constraints, and environmental concerns. Innovations such as closed-loop systems (reducing ecological impacts), variable-speed turbines (82% efficiency), and hybridization with renewables demonstrate progress in overcoming these barriers. Policy frameworks, public-private partnerships, and digitalization (AI, IoT) are critical for accelerating deployment. The paper underscores PSH’s necessity in achieving climate goals, projecting a doubling of global hydropower capacity by 2050, while advocating for interdisciplinary research to optimize efficiency, mitigate environmental impacts, and enhance scalability in diverse energy landscapes.
Bhattarai et al. (2025) studied this question.
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