PEAKING POWER

The huge advantage of a pumped hydro system is how it can act as a stabiliser for the energy grid. This is increasingly important for an electricity grid that features more and more wind and solar power, whose generation varies according to the whims of the weather. Snowy 2.0 is intended to be a ‘ peaking power’ plant, meaning it will only generate power during times of high demand. But it will also be able to rapidily respond to fluctuating power needs, taking just 30 seconds to ramp up from generating no power to its full 2,000 megawatt capability.