By Sebastian

How it works

• Pumped storage reservoirs aren't really a means of generating electrical power. They're a way of storing energy so that we can release it quickly when we need it.

Diagram

When the turbine spins it produces kinetic energy which is used in the generator to produce electricity

The water is stored and released when it is needed

Advantages

• Without some means of storing energy for quick release, we'd be in trouble.

• Little effect on the landscape.

No pollution or waste

• Its renewable

Disadvantages

• Expensive to build.

• Once it's used, you can't use it again until you've pumped the water back up. But the industry is very good at predicting when the surges in power demand will happen, so good planning can get around this problem

Reliability

• It is very reliable because we can release the water to make energy when we need it.

Dinorwig

• It is a place where there is a pumped storage stations. When water is pumped up to the top reservoir (called "Marchlyn Mawr") we are storing gravitational potential energy in it. The greater the height, the more energy is stored. The water falls 600 metres on its way to the turbines, so it's under a great deal of pressure when it arrives. For this reason, the tunnels are lined with steel at the bottom end. It is a good place because there is a lot of high ground.

Hydroelectricity improves the air we breathe

• Hydroelectric power plants don't release pollutants into the air. They very frequently substitute the generation from fossil fuels, thus reducing acid rain and smog. In addition to this, hydroelectric developments don't generate toxic by-products.

Hydroelectricity offers a significant contribution to development.

Hydroelectric installations bring electricity, highways, industry and commerce to communities, thus developing the economy, expanding access to health and education, and improving the quality of life. Hydroelectricity is a technology that has been known and proven for more than a century.