Assessment of an Underground Pumped Storage Hydropower for Unifei's Campus of Itajubá

Storing electrical energy is still a challenging task for the scientific community. The storage in hydroelectric reservoirs evolved into the Pumped Storage Hydropower – PSH, in general, taking advantage of the natural relief. When the natural relief is not suitable for the construction of an upper reservoir or have environmental barriers, underground reservoirs can be the solution. Although Underground Pumped Storage Hydropower – UPSH have enormous potential, they are a recent research field, with few studies worldwide. Therefore, this study aims to present an overall assessment of a micro UPSH proposed to be built in the Unifei's campus of Itajubá. The work begins with legislative and regulatory research to define the plant's type of business. Then, a stochastic economic assessment, using statistical tools, is carried out. The results show technical feasibility, however, low probability of positive net present value and low internal rate of return. As this study presents a prototype proposal in a public non-profit institution, the results can be considered satisfactory. More studies on the topic should be carried out, as Brazil has a great potential for UPSH.