Pumped Hydro Storage Lab
Classroom worksheet · Interactive simulation: https://lkforge.com/tools/physics/pumped-hydro/
Name: Date:
Learning objectives
- Explain gravitational energy storage.
- Compute stored energy from mass and height.
- Define round-trip efficiency.
Variables to change
- Reservoir height
- Water volume
- Flow rate
Procedure
- Pump water uphill to store energy and note the energy used.
- Release it through the turbine to recover energy.
- Compare energy stored with energy recovered.
Observations
Record stored vs recovered energy and how height and volume change the stored amount.
Questions
- How is energy stored in pumped hydro?
- Write the stored energy.
- How does reservoir height affect storage?
- What is a typical round-trip efficiency?
- Why is pumped hydro used for grid storage?
Answer key (instructors)
- 1. As gravitational potential energy of water raised to a higher reservoir.
- 2. E = mgh = ρVgh (mass or water volume × g × height).
- 3. Stored energy is proportional to height — higher head stores more per unit volume.
- 4. About 70–80%, after pumping and generation losses.
- 5. It can store large amounts of energy and release it quickly to balance supply and demand.
Pumped hydro stores energy by pumping water uphill (E = mgh) and recovers it by letting the water drive a turbine. Stored energy grows with height and volume; round-trip efficiency is ~70–80%, and it scales to grid-sized storage.