Pumped hydro storage (PHS)

Pumped hydro storage (PHS) is the most mature energy storage technology and has the highest installed generation and storage capacity in the world. Most PHS plants have been built with the objective to store electricity generated from inflexible sources of energy such as coal and nuclear in daily storage cycles. However, with the rapid reduction in price of batteries and their ability to decentralize energy storage, future PHS plants are expected to have monthly, seasonal, and pluriannual storage cycles, combined with existing hydropower dams downstream and provide water management services. This chapter gives an overview of different arrangements of PHS plants, their challenges and benefits for supporting the shift to a more sustainable world