In the Swiss mountains, Nant de Drance, a gigantic pumped storage power plant, goes into operation after 14 years of construction. The huge system is intended to help stabilize the European power grid.
The gigantic pumped storage power plant Nant de Drance goes online. (Source: operator)
- One of the most powerful pumped storage power plants in Europe goes into operation in Nant de Drance, Switzerland.
- It is intended to stabilize the energy supply of Switzerland and Europe.
- With an output of 900 megawatts and a capacity of 20 million kilowatt hours (equivalent to the capacity of 400,000 electric car batteries), it can supply around 900,000 households with electricity.
- The efficiency of the power plant is a very good 80 percent.
Europe continues to expand its capacities for generating and storing alternative energy. After the highly acclaimed solar pumped storage power plant in Portugal, Nant de Drance in the Swiss mountains is now going online. The machine center is 600 meters below the surface of the earth, between two reservoirs, in a kind of gigantic cave.
Introducing Nat de Drance
Presentation: Nat de Drance power station
Pumped storage power plants of this type can above all help to balance out peak loads in the power grid. The principle: water from a reservoir is pumped to a higher level with the help of gigantic pumps, thus storing energy. This process usually takes place when more energy is available than can be consumed by consumers. When electricity is needed, however, the water flows by gravity through power-generating turbines.
Six of these so-called Francis pump turbines, each with an output of 150 megawatts, are installed in the Swiss plant. It should take less than five minutes to switch from full-load pump mode to full-load turbine mode, the manufacturer writes. A complete emptying of the Vieux Emosson reservoir is said to take 20 hours. During this time, water with a volume of 25 million cubic meters changes location!
Opens the gates to visitors
Those interested in technology can visit the power plant on 10/11. September on the open day, hike through the 17-kilometre long galleries and tunnels. If you are interested, you should register quickly via this website – the number of participants is limited. Want to have your own little power plant? We have extensively tested a recommendable solar generator for you. Maybe an electricity-generating garden fence is something for you. By the way: Saudi Arabia is planning an even bigger building. “The Line”, a 170 kilometer (!) long building, is intended to give 9 million people a new home.
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