IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/renene/v256y2026iphs0960148125021202.html

Impact on emissions of the energy system of Gran Canaria due to implementation of a pumped storage hydroelectric power plant

Author

Listed:
  • Lozano Medina, Juan Carlos
  • Concepción, Vicente Henríquez
  • Mendieta Pino, Carlos Alberto
  • Zerpa, Federico León

Abstract

The Chira-Soria Pumped Hydroelectric Storage (PHES) project in Gran Canaria is an innovative energy storage solution for isolated island systems. This facility stores excess renewable energy by pumping water to higher altitudes, which is used to generate electricity during periods of high demand. The project seeks to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions, with projected daily reductions of 1432.98 tons of CO2 equivalent and annual reductions of 523,038.12 tons, representing a 23.32 % decrease in total emissions. The PHES will facilitate a substantial increase in renewable energy integration, from 20.6 % in 2021 to 75.9 % in 2030 with existing technologies, and with potential for a near 100 % renewable energy system with future improvements. This transition marks an important step towards the sustainability of Gran Canaria's isolated energy system. The PHES will introduce greater flexibility, addressing the limitations of existing non-renewable technologies in managing renewable energy integration. It will provide critical grid stabilization functions, improving the overall reliability of the island's electricity supply. Its successful implementation could serve as a model for other isolated power systems in their transition to renewable energy adoption and emissions reduction.

Suggested Citation

  • Lozano Medina, Juan Carlos & Concepción, Vicente Henríquez & Mendieta Pino, Carlos Alberto & Zerpa, Federico León, 2026. "Impact on emissions of the energy system of Gran Canaria due to implementation of a pumped storage hydroelectric power plant," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 256(PH).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:renene:v:256:y:2026:i:ph:s0960148125021202
    DOI: 10.1016/j.renene.2025.124456
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0960148125021202
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.renene.2025.124456?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to

    for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Barrera-Santana, J. & Sioshansi, Ramteen, 2023. "An optimization framework for capacity planning of island electricity systems," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 171(C).
    2. Rehman, Shafiqur & Al-Hadhrami, Luai M. & Alam, Md. Mahbub, 2015. "Pumped hydro energy storage system: A technological review," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 44(C), pages 586-598.
    3. Qiblawey, Yazan & Alassi, Abdulrahman & Zain ul Abideen, Mohammed & Bañales, Santiago, 2022. "Techno-economic assessment of increasing the renewable energy supply in the Canary Islands: The case of Tenerife and Gran Canaria," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 162(C).
    4. Gómez-Calvet, Roberto & Martínez-Duart, José Manuel & Serrano-Calle, Silvia, 2019. "Current state and optimal development of the renewable electricity generation mix in Spain," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 135(C), pages 1108-1120.
    5. Padrón, S. & Medina, J.F. & Rodríguez, A., 2011. "Analysis of a pumped storage system to increase the penetration level of renewable energy in isolated power systems. Gran Canaria: A case study," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 36(12), pages 6753-6762.
    6. Lozano Medina, Juan Carlos & Henríquez Concepción, Vicente & León Zerpa, Federico Antonio & Mendieta Pino, Carlos A., 2024. "Gran Canaria energy system: Integration of the chira-soria pumped hydroelectric power plant and analysis of weekly daily demand patterns for the year 2023," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 232(C).
    7. Juan Carlos Lozano Medina & Sebastian Perez-Baez & Federico Leon-Zerpa & Carlos A. Mendieta-Pino, 2024. "Alternatives for the Optimization and Reduction in the Carbon Footprint in Island Electricity Systems (IESs)," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(3), pages 1-17, January.
    8. Groppi, Daniele & Pfeifer, Antun & Garcia, Davide Astiaso & Krajačić, Goran & Duić, Neven, 2021. "A review on energy storage and demand side management solutions in smart energy islands," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 135(C).
    9. Pombo, Daniel Vázquez & Martinez-Rico, Jon & Spataru, Sergiu V. & Bindner, Henrik W. & Sørensen, Poul E., 2023. "Decarbonizing energy islands with flexibility-enabling planning: The case of Santiago, Cape Verde," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 176(C).
    10. Yurter, Gulin & Nadar, Emre & Kocaman, Ayse Selin, 2024. "The impact of pumped hydro energy storage configurations on investment planning of hybrid systems with renewables," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 222(C).
    11. Shi, Jiatong & Guo, Yangying & Wang, Sen & Yu, Xinyi & Jiang, Qianyu & Xu, Weidong & Yan, Yamin & Chen, Yujie & Zhang, Hongyu & Wang, Bohong, 2024. "An optimisation method for planning and operating nearshore island power and natural gas energy systems," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 308(C).
    12. Papadopoulos, Agis M., 2020. "Renewable energies and storage in small insular systems: Potential, perspectives and a case study," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 149(C), pages 103-114.
    13. Pombo, Daniel Vázquez & Martinez-Rico, Jon & Marczinkowski, Hannah M., 2022. "Towards 100% renewable islands in 2040 via generation expansion planning: The case of São Vicente, Cape Verde," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 315(C).
    14. Arévalo, Paúl & Cano, Antonio & Jurado, Francisco, 2022. "Mitigation of carbon footprint with 100% renewable energy system by 2050: The case of Galapagos islands," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 245(C).
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Lozano Medina, Juan Carlos & Henríquez Concepción, Vicente & León Zerpa, Federico Antonio & Mendieta Pino, Carlos A., 2024. "Gran Canaria energy system: Integration of the chira-soria pumped hydroelectric power plant and analysis of weekly daily demand patterns for the year 2023," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 232(C).
    2. Juan Carlos Lozano Medina & Sebastian Perez-Baez & Federico Leon-Zerpa & Carlos A. Mendieta-Pino, 2024. "Alternatives for the Optimization and Reduction in the Carbon Footprint in Island Electricity Systems (IESs)," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(3), pages 1-17, January.
    3. Villarroel, Nicolás & Lazo, Joaquín & Watts, David, 2025. "High energy costs in insular energy systems and the potential for integrating innovative renewable solutions: The case of Chile," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 246(C).
    4. Juan Carlos Lozano Medina & Federico A. León Zerpa & Sebastián Ovidio Pérez Báez & Carlos Sánchez Morales & Carlos A. Mendieta Pino, 2025. "A Study of Energy Production in Gran Canaria with a Pumped Hydroelectric Energy Storage Plant (PHES)," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 17(2), pages 1-22, January.
    5. Østergaard, P.A. & Lund, H. & Thellufsen, J.Z. & Sorknæs, P. & Mathiesen, B.V., 2022. "Review and validation of EnergyPLAN," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 168(C).
    6. Chen, Sheng & Wang, Jing & Zhang, Jian & Yu, Xiaodong & He, Wei, 2020. "Transient behavior of two-stage load rejection for multiple units system in pumped storage plants," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 160(C), pages 1012-1022.
    7. Diego Rodríguez Rodríguez, 2019. "Los costes de la transición: las centrales de bombeo y el gas en sistemas aislados," Studies on the Spanish Economy eee2019-13, FEDEA.
    8. Javed, Muhammad Shahzad & Ma, Tao & Jurasz, Jakub & Amin, Muhammad Yasir, 2020. "Solar and wind power generation systems with pumped hydro storage: Review and future perspectives," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 148(C), pages 176-192.
    9. Mahfoud, Rabea Jamil & Alkayem, Nizar Faisal & Zhang, Yuquan & Zheng, Yuan & Sun, Yonghui & Alhelou, Hassan Haes, 2023. "Optimal operation of pumped hydro storage-based energy systems: A compendium of current challenges and future perspectives," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 178(C).
    10. Andreas Dimou & Konstantinos Moustakas & Stergios Vakalis, 2023. "The Role of Hydrogen and H 2 Mobility on the Green Transition of Islands: The Case of Anafi (Greece)," Energies, MDPI, vol. 16(8), pages 1-14, April.
    11. Groppi, Daniele & Pfeifer, Antun & Garcia, Davide Astiaso & Krajačić, Goran & Duić, Neven, 2021. "A review on energy storage and demand side management solutions in smart energy islands," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 135(C).
    12. Álvarez-Piñeiro, Lucas & Berna-Escriche, César & Blanco-Muelas, David, 2026. "Probabilistic assessment of Spain's 2030 electricity system via Monte Carlo analysis," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 260(C).
    13. Mensah, Johnson Herlich Roslee & Santos, Ivan Felipe Silva dos & Raimundo, Danielle Rodrigues & Costa de Oliveira Botan, Maria Cláudia & Barros, Regina Mambeli & Tiago Filho, Geraldo Lucio, 2022. "Energy and economic study of using Pumped Hydropower Storage with renewable resources to recover the Furnas reservoir," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 199(C), pages 320-334.
    14. Makhdoomi, Sina & Askarzadeh, Alireza, 2020. "Daily performance optimization of a grid-connected hybrid system composed of photovoltaic and pumped hydro storage (PV/PHS)," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 159(C), pages 272-285.
    15. Bojana Škrbić & Željko Đurišić, 2023. "Novel Planning Methodology for Spatially Optimized RES Development Which Minimizes Flexibility Requirements for Their Integration into the Power System," Energies, MDPI, vol. 16(7), pages 1-34, April.
    16. Pueyo, Ana & Haas, Jannik, 2025. "Energy transitions in the Pacific, one island at a time: The case of Efate island, Vanuatu," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 206(C).
    17. Li, Yi & Liu, Yinjiang & Yu, Hao & Luo, Xian & Li, Yi & Tang, Dong & Zhang, Guijin & Liu, Yaning, 2025. "Underground performance assessment of compressed CO2 energy storage in aquifers by thermal-hydro-mechanical coupling method," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 324(C).
    18. Ardizzon, G. & Cavazzini, G. & Pavesi, G., 2014. "A new generation of small hydro and pumped-hydro power plants: Advances and future challenges," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 31(C), pages 746-761.
    19. Koh, Rachel & Kern, Jordan & Galelli, Stefano, 2022. "Hard-coupling water and power system models increases the complementarity of renewable energy sources," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 321(C).
    20. Dimou, Andreas & Vakalis, Stergios, 2022. "Technoeconomic analysis of green energy transitions in isolated grids: The case of Ai Stratis – Green Island," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 195(C), pages 66-75.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;

    JEL classification:

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:renene:v:256:y:2026:i:ph:s0960148125021202. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.journals.elsevier.com/renewable-energy .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.