by GHung » Sun 29 Jul 2018, 20:41:02
$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('baha', 'I') understand pumped hydro-storage. You need two reservoirs, bottom and top.
What I saw on PBS said there was two parts. They would pump salt water from CA to NV, desalinate it, and dump it in Lake Mead. As well as recirculate discharged water at the dam. They would build a small reservoir a few miles downstream and pump it with solar.
I suppose this makes sense if the solar field is right there by the pump. I saw a big solar field when I was there near Bolder City. It's closer to the loads (Las Vegas) than the dam. But there's lots of room for more...
A better plan would be to pump water from Lake Mead to Lake Powell. And then let it run back down the Grand Canyon. So we can ride

This all depends on water. If the lake is empty it won't work...
Gosh, Baha, I'm not sure if you didn't read the NYT article, uptop, or you are just being obtuse. There is no discussion of building another dam downstream. There are already suitable deep sections of the river:
https://static01.nyt.com/newsgraphics/2 ... 9-2000.jpgNo need to put the solar/wind systems close to the pump station. Hoover already has massive transmission lines which would be tapped to power the pumps using surplus generation from all over the area. That's how other pumped storage systems work. If you were familiar with the concept you would know that. Methinks you have a Tesla battery obsession. Storage can be hundreds of miles away from whatever source has surplus capacity.
Planty, you also have a nuke obsession. Compare $3 billion for this proposed system with the debacle going on in GA with Plant Vogtle's 2 new reactors; now expected to surpass $22 billion. But go ahead and build your reactors. Many reactors work in partnership with pumped storage as I've mentioned here many times. Reactors like to operate in steady state regardless of loads. Better to send that surplus somewhere than to power down the reactors. Use that spare capacity during off-peak hours to charge the pumped storage systems.
Again, IT'S ALREADY BEING DONE ALL OVER THE COUNTRY, has been for decades.
As for water availability, Hover dam is still operating at about 75% capacity. Must be some water somewhere. But, yeah, lets build another $30 billion worth of new nukes. Makes more sense than utilizing capacity already built and on the grid.
My grand idea is to get Musk's Boring machines to dig tunnels from the Pacific to Death Valley. Create an inland sea and build multiple pumped storage reservoirs in the mountains above the new sea. Put millions of PV panels around the sea to run the pumps.