Glinsk P.H.E.S.

Organic Power Limited commenced site investigations last month at Glinsk, near Belmullet on the North Mayo Coast to facilitate detailed design of a Pumped Hydroelectric Energy Storage (PHES), for which a planning application will be lodged in June 2010. The site and design selection are the result of exhaustive research for the project through comparing the best similar schemes worldwide since 2007, and selecting the site in light of international best practice.

A Pumped Hydroelectric Energy Storage scheme is a device for storing energy. It is used to accept excess energy from the electricity grid when production is high relative to demand, and deliver energy back to the grid when demand is high and production is low. It is an established technology worldwide, with hundreds of schemes such as Turlough Hill in Wicklow, in successful and safe operation.

The Glinsk project will use the sea as the lower reservoir. A similar type sea water pumped hydro electric energy storage scheme has been functioning successfully in a national park in Japan since 1991. Environmental impacts are low, as the only elements of the scheme that are visible are the reservoir embankment and access roads. This project is also a large tourist attraction to the area with on site visitors centre and education hall.

The site is adjacent to a concentration of fully permitted, but as yet un-built wind farms. The lack of an adequate transmission network in the area to export the power from the wind farms is currently delaying their development, and it is hoped that the proposed Sea-water Pumped Hydro Electric Energy Scheme will expedite the removal of this obstacle and facility the storage of excess power during periods of low grid demand.

The Glinsk PHES scheme will work as follows: The facility will accept power, primarily excess wind power, during off peak night time hours or when generation exceed demand and use it to pump sea water to a reservoir on the top of Glinsk Mountain. The stored energy will be returned to the grid through turbines for use during peak times in the morning and evening, or generation emergencies, thus significantly reducing the national need for imported fossil fuels that are required to keep gas, coal, and oil fired power stations running.

The proposed 480MW scheme will be able to accept up to one third of the projected surplus night time wind power that will be produced in Ireland when the national target of 5,000MW of wind turbines is achieved under Government policy by 2020. In addition the scheme should significantly expedite the delivery of the wind energy target by providing a high voltage transmission grid connection to the North west. This will allow one fifth of the wind energy target for the country as a whole, which is already permitted in the area, to be built.

The proposal includes a new high voltage transmission line to deliver the area’s strategic potential in wind and ocean energy to the existing high voltage network via an undersea cable, thus avoiding issues associated with overhead power lines. The proposed electricity substation at the site will be able to accept enormous quantities of clean but unpredictable energy from local wind-farms and ocean energy projects, and transform it into a high quality predictable green electricity product by storing it for use when needed. It is hoped that the project will, over a short time frame, provide large amounts of green electricity to the Irish Economy.

Large energy consumers could benefit from this reliable green energy source to reduce their carbon footprint and potentially produce green goods at home for export, helping to give Ireland a badly needed competitive advantage and enhanced green image.

It is planned to commission the facility in 2013.

The MAREX initiative (Method for Atlantic Renewable Energy Export) aims to provide an underground High Voltage Direct Current Cable transmission connection from North Mayo (i.e. the Energy Storage Hub proposed by Organic Power at Glinsk) to the Irish terminus of the East West Interconnector which links the UK and Irish electricity grids. Read more about Marex in the brochure.

Local residents in Belderg, the closest village to the site of the proposed 960MW SWPHES scheme at Glinsk and national organisations have endorsed the project in principle.