the $3 billion plan to turn hoover dam into a giant battery - energy storage companies

In July 24, 2018, the Hoover Dam was compared to the public works of the pyramid.
Now, when a river passes, what if it can take advantage of the power of the Sun and the wind? By Ivan Penn.
Picture of Micah Glendale.
Photos and videos of David Walter Banks.
Aerial video of Josh Haner and Josh Williams.
The Hoover Dam used the power of the Colorado River to help transform the western United States.
Millions of cubic feet of concrete and millions of pounds of steel.
Electricity for millions of households and businesses.
This is one of the great engineering feats of the 20 th century.
Now is the focus of the 21 st century.
Century Challenge: turn the dam into a huge excess power bank, powered by solar power plants and wind turbines representing future power supplies.
The Los Angeles water and electricity department was the original operator of the dam when it was built in the 1930 s and I wanted to equip it with a $3 billion pipeline and a pumping station powered by solar and wind.
The downstream pumping station will help to regulate the water flow of the dam generator and send the water back to the top at the peak of demand to help manage the power.
The final result will be a storage of energy.
Almost the same as giant lithium.
Ion batteries are being developed for the absorption and release of energy.
The process begins when the dam converts water into energy.
The Hoover Dam project may help answer an immediate question in the energy industry: how to find affordable and efficient power storage, which is considered to be the key to changing the industry and helping to control carbon emissions.
Because the sun does not always shine and the wind may also be inconsistent, power companies look for ways to store the electricity generated by these sources for use when the output is weakened.
Otherwise they have to ignite the fossil
Fuel plants that meet high demand periods.
When the power generation of solar and wind farms exceeds consumer demand, utility companies in California have to figure out how to get rid of it --
Including giving it to other states.
Or it may cause overload of the power grid and power failure.
"I think we have to think of this as one time. in-a-
Said Mayor Eric M.
Cardiff, Los Angeles
"It really seems possible so far.
It looks sustainable and looks clean.
"The goal of completion is 2028, and some say the effort may inspire similar innovations in other dams.
Strengthening energy storage could also affect the multi-billion-dollar wind program proposed by billionaire Warren E.
Buffett and Philip F. Anschutz.
But the proposal will have to face political obstacles, including environmental issues and the interests of those who use the river to drink, entertain and serve.
In the Bullhead City of arritz
Neff, Laughlin. —
Sister city across from Colorado, about 90 miles south of the dam-
The water level in certain sections depends on when the dam is open and closed, and some residents believe that the change in dam flow is an interruption, if not a threat.
"Any idea like this has to go through more than just engineering feasibility," Peter Gleick
The founder of the Pacific Research Institute, a think tank in Oakland, California.
He is a member of the National Academy of Sciences and is known for his work on climate issues.
"It has to go through environmental, political, and economic scrutiny, and that may be the real problem.
"There has been an informal mention over the past 15 years of using the Hoover Dam to help manage the grid.
But until about a year ago, when California began working to address the need to better manage its soaring alternatives, no one was serious about pursuing the idea --
Power production-
Part of weaning from coal
Thermal power plants and nuclear power plants.
So far, California is the leading state in solar production, which sometimes means paying additional electricity bills to other states.
Companies like Tesla have started producing lithium.
Ion batteries deployed by some utilities, but this form of storage is often still expensive.
Lazard, a financial consulting and asset management firm, estimates that utilities-scale lithium-
An ion battery of 26 cents per kilowatt
Hours, compared to 15 cents a pump
Storage water and electricity project.
Typical families pay about £ 12.
5 cents per kilowatt
Electricity for an hour
Some dams have provided the basis for the Hoover Dam proposal.
Los Angeles operates a hydropower station on Lake Margarita, about 50 miles northwest of the city, storing energy by using a power grid to rotate the turbine backwards and pump it back into the lake. [
Read more: It's tricky to store energy on an industrial scale, but engineers have designed clever workarounds. ]
But the Hoover Dam proposal will be different.
The dam, the towering 726-
The foot concrete wall, which went online on 1936, and its 17 generators will not be touched.
Instead, engineers propose to build a pumping station 20 miles downstream of Mead Lake, the largest artificial lake in the United States.
Depending on the final approved location, the pipeline will run in part or all underground.
Kelly Sanders, assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering at the University of Southern California, said: "The Hoover Dam is ideal for this . ".
"It's a huge plant.
In terms of batteries of this size, we don't have anything on the horizon.
Sri Narayan, a chemistry professor at the University, said his research on lithium
Ion batteries show that they are not at all ready to store the load they need to manage all the wind and solar power online. “With lithium-
Ion batteries, you have a problem with durability . "Narayan said.
"If they can last 5 to 10 years, it will be a period of time, especially because we want to be able to use these facilities at full capacity.
It must be 10 times more durable than it is today. ”Mr.
Narayan said he believes the Hoover Dam project should be seriously considered because of the pumping-
Storage projects have been tested and validated for decades.
Compared to lithium-
"I think this argument is very good," he said.
"The Los Angeles Department of Water and electricity, the largest municipal utility in the United States, said its proposal would increase the productivity of the dam, which has a running potential of only 20%, in order to avoid releasing too much water at the same time, and flood downstream towns.
The engineers conducted preliminary feasibility studies, including a review of the location of the pumping station, which had as little adverse effects on the environment and nearby communities as possible.
However, since the Hoover Dam is located on federal land and operates under the leadership of a part of the Home Office's reclamation bureau, the bureau must support the project before it can proceed.
"We know the concept, but at this point our regional management doesn't have enough details to know where we stand across the project," said Doug Hendricks . " Bureau spokesman.
If the bureau agrees to consider the project, the National Park Authority will review the environmental, scientific and aesthetic impact on the downstream entertainment district.
Park service officials told Los Angeles utility that if approved, the agency wanted the public to basically not see pumping operations, which could require another engineering feat.
One of the considerations is the effect on the big horn sheep strolling through the Black Canyon, and on drinking water in places like the bull head city.
Some environmental activists worry that adding a pump facility will damage the flow of water downstream, especially in the Colorado River Delta. The Colorado River Delta is a dry river bed in Mexico, no longer connected to the sea.
Another concern is that the pumping station will take water from Lake MOHAI or near Lake Mohai, where water lovers take boats, fish, fly
Skiing, kayaking and canoeing.
Keri Simons, a 27-year-old ship Adventure Manageryear-
Mr. Laughlin's old leasing company says water levels in Colorado's area near river towns have begun to fluctuate.
The smaller Davis Dam north of Laughlin closed the water overnight.
One morning this year, the water level outside the city has fallen very low and you can cross the river bed. Simons said.
"We won't be able to get the boat out until noon," she said . ".
"Half of the river is sandbar.
"Even without losing water because of the pumping project, thinking that there will be any additional pressure on the system, Toby Scott, the city manager of cattle head city, is worried.
The town is booming during summer tourism, attracting about 2 million visitors to the area for recreation on green streets. Mr. Bluewater. Cotter said.
"This lake is the lifeblood of this community," he said . "
"It is not uncommon to see 100 ships on that lake.
"Eco-activists have been pushing Los Angeles to stop using fossil fuels and generate electricity from alternative sources such as solar and wind.
Mayor Garcetti said he wants his city to be the first city in the country to operate entirely on clean energy while maintaining a reliable power system.
"The challenge we face is: how do we reach 100% green? ” he said. “Storage helps.
We don't have a bigger battery in our system than Hoover Dam.
But in the Colorado area, some old wounds are still not healed. A coal-
In 2006, the hydropower and other utilities shut down the power plant in Laughlin, losing 500 jobs and causing the local economy to collapse.
A long time ago, the decision to distribute a small portion of water that can be extracted from California and Arizona to Nevada was still a tricky issue.
"California's power does not give any comfort to the people they deal with," said Nevada Senator Joseph Hardy . ".
"I think from a political point of view, we have to mitigate the fears of California, Nevada and Arizona.
There will be countless worries.
The decision to close the coal plant angered many residents.
They want utilities to simply increase their emissions.
The control function of reducing carbon pollution is called washing machine.
The community later wanted a natural
The gas plant will replace the coal facility, but Los Angeles cannot agree with the local community on a website. The 2,500-
An acre of land on which the coal plant is located is still vacant.
"There is still some sting here," he said . "
Officer of Bullhead City, Scott
Local efforts have been made to transform the site into housing and Enterprise Development --
If Los Angeles is willing to buy electricity or build a solar farm on a piece of land. Mr.
Garcetti said other states and cities have worked with Los Angeles to build economic development projects for their communities, so he wanted to consider similar ideas for the Hoover Dam project and ways to benefit the whole region.
"I am willing to listen to their needs," he said . ". Mr.
Hardy to big-city promises.
He said that the Ministry of Water and Electricity treated Nevada so arrogantly that a security guard at the site of the old coal plant had refused to return the ball to children because it had bounced through the fence of the property.
He said the doorman had told the children's parents that they could make a claim for it to be recovered --
The process takes two to three years.
"Not the friendliest neighbor . "Hardy said.
But he said he was willing to meet with officials in Los Angeles to make the project a success.
"As long as everyone agrees with Nevada, the barriers are small and the negotiations are simple," he said. Hardy said.
"It would be great if there was a table they would come.
I will give you the table.
Source: Department of Water and electricity, Los Angeles;
The reclamation bureau of Ivan Payne, Mika Glendale, David Walter Banks, Josh hanner and Josh Williams, by Keith Collins, Meg cut down, Whitney