GE Hydro Solutions has installed the final two 300MW turbines at a pumped hydro energy storage plant in Anhui Province, China.
All units of the plant are now under commercial operation, after successfully being connected to the local electricity grid and completing 15 days of trial operation. It comes a few months after GE Hydro Solutions, part of the large US-based conglomerate, announced that the first two of a four turbines in total had been installed, reported by Energy-Storage.news at the time.
The discharge duration of the plant has not been revealed but with pumped hydro units typically being able to discharge at full power for 6-20 hours, the total energy storage capacity of the system could be anywhere between 7GWh and 28GWh.
GE Hydro Solutions was selected by Anhui Jinzhai Pumped Storage Power Co, part of state-owned State Grid Xinyuan, in 2017 to supply the four turbines, generator-motors and balance of plant (BOP) equipment for the plant in the county of Jinzhai.
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China is aiming to have more than 200 pumped hydro energy storage plants with a combined capacity of 270GW by 2025 according to Bloomberg. The technology works by pumping water into an upper reservoir to charge, and then passing that water down through a turbine generator to discharge.
It typically has a round-trip efficiency of around 80%, and accounts for the vast majority of installed energy storage capacity globally.
GE has delivered over 12GW of pumped hydro energy storage solutions in China, accounting for more than a quarter of the country’s installed base. Globally, the firm said it has installed equipment in 30% of the pumped hydro energy storage capacity base.
Read more recent news about pumped hydro energy storage here, including a 9GWh project in Wyoming reaching the final regulatory hurdle before construction, Estonia’s first unit getting the green light to go ahead and a grant for a new project in Austrialia.
Energy-Storage.news’ publisher Solar Media will host the 1st Energy Storage Summit Asia, 11-12 July 2023 in Singapore. The event will help give clarity on this nascent, yet quickly growing market, bringing together a community of credible independent generators, policymakers, banks, funds, off-takers and technology providers. For more information, go to the website.
