Pumped storage

Pumped storage is an essential solution for grid reliability, providing one of the few large-scale, affordable means of storing and deploying electricity. Pumped storage projects store and generate energy by moving water between two reservoirs at different elevations.

Storage is vital in a highly renewable power system, due to the fluctuations and intermittency of renewable energy resources.

The renewable resource potential in the Faroe Islands is high, especially in the winter with high wind speeds and precipitation, but obtaining an energy balance in a 100% renewable production in the summer is difficult, due to the lower wind speeds and precipitation and relatively low irradiation.

In order to address this challenge, a pumped storage system in Vestmanna is being investigated. This system will utilise two existing hydro power plants with designated reservoirs. The main focus of this system is to balance the system, by pumping water from the lower reservoir to the upper reservoir during times with excess wind power, and then use the stored energy when needed.

Additionally, the pumped storage system contributes to the power system stability, due to the rotational energy associated with the system.