A Methodology for Selecting Suitable Sites for Pumped-Storage Hydropower Plants

The increasing share of intermittent energy sources, particularly solar and wind power plants, necessitates efficient energy storage to stabilize the power system. The most significant capacity for this purpose is pumped-storage hydropower plants (PSH). This paper presents a new methodology for identifying potential locations for PSH and pump-storage facilities (PSF) at existing hydropower plants - SMART-PSH (Site Mapping And Ranking Technique for Pumped Storage Hydropower plants). The methodology is based on a combination of automated spatial search using GIS tools, expert location analysis, and multicriteria ranking of potential systems. The selection of suitable PSH and PSF sites considers spatial relationships (elevation difference and distance) between reservoirs, hydrological characteristics of the watercourses, and the morphological features of reservoir areas. In addition to these parameters, key factors influencing system evaluation include geological characteristics of the terrain, potential environmental impacts, effects on the population, cultural and historical heritage, infrastructure, and economy, as well as proximity to transportation and power transmission networks, and other factors. The ranking of potential PSH and PSF is conducted based on multiple criteria with varying levels of their significance (weighting coefficients).