Energy shift creates opening for ‘world’s largest batteries’

By JOHN FLESHER
AP Environmental Writer

LUDINGTON, Mich. (AP) — A question is hovering over the transition from fossil fuels to cleaner energy such as wind and solar: What happens when the wind doesn’t blow or the sun doesn’t shine? The hydropower industry says the answer is developing more pumped storage plants. They function like giant batteries, pumping water from a lower reservoir to an upper one. When power is needed, the water is released downhill through turbines. The U.S. has 43 pumped storage plants but only one has been built since the 1990s. Cost, regulatory and logistical problems have hampered new construction. The industry is lobbying for tax breaks and streamlined permitting. But some say pumped storage causes environmental problems and better technologies may emerge.