Fossil fuels comprise the accumulation of prehistoric biomass that was energised by sunlight, and formed by earth system dynamics. Fossil fuels can be conceptualized as stored energy stocks that can be readily converted to power flows, on demand. A transition from a reliance on stored energy stocks, to renewable energy flows, will require a replication of energy storage by technological devices and energy conversion methods. Most analyses of energy storage focus solely on the economic-technical properties of storage within incumbent energy systems. This book broadens the scope of the study of storage by placing it within a broader, historical, biophysical framework. The role and value of storage is examined from first principles, and framed within the contemporary context of electrical grids and markets. The energy-economic cost of electrical storage may be critical to the efficacy of high penetration renewable scenarios, and understanding the costs and benefits of storage is needed for a proper assessment of storage in energy transition studies. This book provides a starting point for engineers, scientists and energy analysts for exploring the role of storage in energy transition studies, and for gaining an appreciation of the biophysical constraints of storage.

This paper describes the procedures and results of an investigation to evaluate potential increases in nationwide hydropower production that could be achieved by reallocation of flood control storage at existing hydropower reservoirs. One aspect of the investigation considered only the increase in energy that could be achieved by storage reallocation; a second aspect considered potential gains in both energy and capacity that could be achieved by adding to the existing installed capacity as well as storage reallocation. The investigation was performed by the Hydrologic Engineering Center of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and is a component of a technical overview study which is part of the National Hydropower Study. (Author).

The Richard B. Russell Dam and Lake Project is presently under construction and is being placed in tandem between Hartwell and Clark Hill, two existing multipurpose hydropower plants on the Savannah River. System operational simulations were performed in support of a feasibility study for the installation of pump turbines at Russell, using a version of the Corps of Engineers HEC-5C computer program modified for system power and pumped storage. Information developed from the simulations include system hydropower production, pumping energy requirements, daily reservoir pool fluctuations, and reservoir elevation statistics. This information was useful in judging the effects of the addition of pumped storage on system hydropower production and reservoir recreation useability, as well as in ascertaining efficient system operational methods. (Author).