Can we save electricity that is being produced from water ( from dam) or do we need to consume immediately??

Answer 1

Any electricity which is produced can be stored in a limited way by for instance batteries, but this is not viable on a commercial scale for power generation. Instead, certainly here in the UK, the power generation system relies on using different types of power station, some which are always generating, and some which can be switched on only to meet peak demand.

However, dams do have an important role to play in this- we may not be able to store the electricity, but we can store the water!

The Dinorwig power station in Wales generates electricity by using water from an upper lake to drive turbines, as in in normal hydroelectric powerstation. It can be turned on in just 16 seconds, to meet peaks in the electricity supply, such as in a TV ad break.

The clever bit is that when there is not much demand for electricity, the turbines can be reversed and used to pump the water from the bottom lake back up to the top lake.
http://www.fhc.co.uk/dinorwig.htm

So while the electricity itself cannot be stored, dams are a great way of storing the energy needed to produce electricity as required.

Answer 2

The enery can be "saved" by pumping the water back up to the top again, giving the dam an energy production of 0 but the water can run back through and generate the power again.

Answer 3

Only in the sense that you can keep the water backed up behind the dam until you need the electricity - then you let it go!

Answer 4

so far it has no longer been economically a possibility to shop super parts of electric powered power. luckily i think of maximum turbines (or the different electric powered ability source) in straight forward terms produce as a lot ability as demanded from them at a undeniable time as much as the full volume that the generator is able to producing. The performance of a generator is probable much less while it is working at under it`s optimal performance output ability yet a minimum of it would not produce ability that could ought to be expensively saved or dissipated (wasted) right into a dummy load.

Answer 5

all energy produced needs to be consumed, there are no effecient ways of storing electrical energy - we then convert electrical energy to stored kinetic energy, so we use the energy produced by the dam to pump the water back up to the high side of the dam.

But once electricy is created it must be used or converted to a storable energy source (potental kinetic energy)

Answer 6

At times of low electrical demand, excess generation capacity is used to pump water into the higher reservoir. When there is higher demand, water is released back into the lower reservoir through a turbine, generating electricity. Reversible turbine/generator assemblies act as pump and turbine (usually a Francis turbine design). Some facilities use abandoned mines as the lower reservoir, but many use the height difference between two natural bodies of water or artificial reservoirs. Pure pumped-storage plants just shift the water between reservoirs, but combined pump-storage plants also generate their own electricity like conventional hydroelectric plants through natural stream-flow. Plants that do not use pumped-storage are referred to as conventional hydroelectric plants; conventional hydroelectric plants that have significant storage capacity may be able to play a similar role in the electrical grid as pumped storage, by deferring output until needed.

Taking into account evaporation losses from the exposed water surface and conversion losses, approximately 70% to 85% of the electrical energy used to pump the water into the elevated reservoir can be regained. The technique is currently the most cost-effective means of storing large amounts of electrical energy on an operating basis, but capital costs and the presence of appropriate geography are critical decision factors.

The relatively low energy density of pumped storage systems requires either a very large body of water or a large variation in height. For example, 1000 kilograms of water (1 cubic meter) at the top of a 100 meter tower has a potential energy of about 0.272 kW·h. The only way to store a significant amount of energy is by having a large body of water located on a hill relatively near, but as high as possible above, a second body of water. In some places this occurs naturally, in others one or both bodies of water have been man-made.

This system may be economical because it flattens out load variations on the power grid, permitting thermal power stations such as coal-fired plants and nuclear power plants that provide base-load electricity to continue operating at peak efficiency (Base load power plants), while reducing the need for "peaking" power plants that use costly fuels. Capital costs for purpose-built hydrostorage are high, however.

Along with energy management, pumped storage systems help control electrical network frequency and provide reserve generation. Thermal plants are much less able to respond to sudden changes in electrical demand, potentially causing frequency and voltage instability. Pumped storage plants, like other hydroelectric plants, can respond to load changes within seconds.

Dr. H

Answer 7

All large-scale power generation is used immediately. It's not possible to store large amounts of energy.

Answer 8

yes, electricity produced is A.C. in order to store it we have to convert it into D.C.

Answer 9

I believe no one has ever made such a huge storage battery.