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Underground Pumped-Storage Hydropower (UPSH) at the Martelange Mine (Belgium): Interactions with Groundwater Flow

Author

Listed:
  • Estanislao Pujades

    (Department of Computational Hydrosystems, UFZ, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research, Permoserstraße 15, 04318 Leipzig, Germany)

  • Philippe Orban

    (Hydrogeology and Environmental Geology, Urban & Environmental Engineering Research Unit, University of Liege, 4000 Liege, Belgium)

  • Pierre Archambeau

    (Hydraulics in Environmental and Civil Engineering (HECE), Urban & Environmental Engineering Research Unit, University of Liege, 4000 Liege, Belgium)

  • Vasileios Kitsikoudis

    (Hydraulics in Environmental and Civil Engineering (HECE), Urban & Environmental Engineering Research Unit, University of Liege, 4000 Liege, Belgium)

  • Sebastien Erpicum

    (Hydraulics in Environmental and Civil Engineering (HECE), Urban & Environmental Engineering Research Unit, University of Liege, 4000 Liege, Belgium)

  • Alain Dassargues

    (Hydrogeology and Environmental Geology, Urban & Environmental Engineering Research Unit, University of Liege, 4000 Liege, Belgium)

Abstract

Underground pumped-storage hydropower (UPSH) is a promising technology to manage the electricity production in flat regions. UPSH plants consist of an underground and surface reservoirs. The energy is stored by pumping water from the underground to the surface reservoir and is produced by discharging water from the surface to the underground reservoir. The underground reservoir can be drilled, but a more efficient alternative, considered here, consists in using an abandoned mine. Given that mines are rarely waterproofed, there are concerns about the consequences (on the efficiency and the environment) of water exchanges between the underground reservoir and the surrounding medium. This work investigates numerically such water exchanges and their consequences. Numerical models are based on a real abandoned mine located in Belgium (Martelange slate mine) that is considered as a potential site to construct an UPSH plant. The model integrates the geometrical complexity of the mine, adopts an operation scenario based on actual electricity prices, simulates the behavior of the system during one year and considers two realistic scenarios of initial conditions with the underground reservoir being either completely full or totally drained. The results show that (1) water exchanges may have important consequences in terms of efficiency and environmental impacts, (2) the influence of the initial conditions is only relevant during early times, and (3), an important factor controlling the water exchanges and their consequences may be the relative location of the natural piezometric head with respect the underground reservoir.

Suggested Citation

  • Estanislao Pujades & Philippe Orban & Pierre Archambeau & Vasileios Kitsikoudis & Sebastien Erpicum & Alain Dassargues, 2020. "Underground Pumped-Storage Hydropower (UPSH) at the Martelange Mine (Belgium): Interactions with Groundwater Flow," Energies, MDPI, vol. 13(9), pages 1-21, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jeners:v:13:y:2020:i:9:p:2353-:d:355511
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

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    2. Xin Zhou & Yuejin Zhou & Xiaoding Xu & Chunlin Zeng & Chaobin Zhu, 2023. "Hydraulic Characteristics Analysis of Double-Bend Roadway of Abandoned Mine Pumped Storage," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(5), pages 1-15, February.
    3. Zhixin Zhang & Qiang Guo & Wei Liu, 2022. "Evaluation of Long-Term Tightness of the Coal Pillar Dam of Underground Reservoir and Protection Countermeasures," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(19), pages 1-20, October.
    4. Reinhard Madlener & Jan Martin Specht, 2020. "An Exploratory Economic Analysis of Underground Pumped-Storage Hydro Power Plants in Abandoned Deep Coal Mines," Energies, MDPI, vol. 13(21), pages 1-22, October.
    5. Małgorzata Jastrzębska, 2022. "Installation’s Conception in the Field of Renewable Energy Sources for the Needs of the Silesian Botanical Garden," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(18), pages 1-28, September.
    6. Vasileios Kitsikoudis & Pierre Archambeau & Benjamin Dewals & Estanislao Pujades & Philippe Orban & Alain Dassargues & Michel Pirotton & Sebastien Erpicum, 2020. "Underground Pumped-Storage Hydropower (UPSH) at the Martelange Mine (Belgium): Underground Reservoir Hydraulics," Energies, MDPI, vol. 13(14), pages 1-16, July.
    7. Gao, Renbo & Wu, Fei & Zou, Quanle & Chen, Jie, 2022. "Optimal dispatching of wind-PV-mine pumped storage power station: A case study in Lingxin Coal Mine in Ningxia Province, China," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 243(C).
    8. Jarosław Kulpa & Paweł Kamiński & Kinga Stecuła & Dariusz Prostański & Piotr Matusiak & Daniel Kowol & Michał Kopacz & Piotr Olczak, 2021. "Technical and Economic Aspects of Electric Energy Storage in a Mine Shaft—Budryk Case Study," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(21), pages 1-14, November.
    9. Xin Lyu & Tong Zhang & Liang Yuan & Ke Yang & Juejing Fang & Shanshan Li & Shuai Liu, 2022. "Pumped Storage Hydropower in Abandoned Mine Shafts: Key Concerns and Research Directions," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(23), pages 1-14, November.

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