The photo is sourced from energy-storage.news
The PSPP will be equipped with an artificial mountain tunnel, through which water will flow from the upper reservoir (Mirarnar) to the lower one (Heygadalur) and power eight hydroelectric units with a total capacity of 70 MW during the peak energy demand. At night, the PSPP will operate in the so-called pumping mode, using electricity from the nearby wind turbines to pump the water from the lower reservoir to the upper one.
The project will bring the Faroe Islands closer to achieving the region’s target of zero emissions in the electricity industry set for 2030. According to Ember Research Centre, the share of fossil sources in the actual generation mix in 2030 was 60% in the region, the remaining 40% was distributed between hydropower plants (26%) and wind turbines (14%). At the same time, the total capacity of all power plants of three types reached 170 MW: 110 MW – from fossil sources, and 40 MW and 20 MW – from hydropower plants and wind turbines. So, the SEV project is going almost to double the installed capacity of water power plants.
The PSPP construction has been gaining more popularity in the developed countries. In 2021, the Swiss Department of Environment, Transport, Energy and Communications selected 15 PSPP projects to be implemented by 2040: eight of them will be located in the canton of Valais, three in Bern, two in Graubünden, and one each in Ticino and Uri. In its turn, the Australian Be Power plans to build a 400 MW PSPP in Queensland, eastern Australia, to be equipped with a 200 MW battery energy storage system. The project will provide clean energy to 288,000 local households.
