The Tâmega River flows from its source in Spain, through Portugal to where it discharges into the Atlantic Ocean. Along the way it passes through numerous ancient settlements, but also via deep narrows between mountains ideal for dams. A new energy storage system is commissioning in the Portuguese mountains, with capacity equivalent to a mega battery.
The New Tâmega Energy Storage System
The Portuguese government approved a new energy storage system, comprising three fresh hydro electric projects along the Tâmega River in 2014. The first of these, namely the Alto Tâmega concrete double-curvature arch dam, has begun generating electricity. Wikipedia confirms the following performance statistics:
- The electrical heart of the pioneering Alto Tâmega dam, comprises two 80-megawatt turbine generating units.
- Their maximum flow rate is 200 cubic-meters-a-second, producing 139-gigawatt-hours of electricity a year.
- Two lateral spillways with total discharge capacity of 1,825 cubic-meters-a-second, prevent the dam over-flowing.
More Information About Alto Tâmega Dam
The Financial Times published more information ‘on the ground’, after contributor Barney Jopson investigated further. He describes the sound of a 230-ton water pump as a ‘roaring hum’, as it sends the life-giving liquid four miles up the mountain to a ‘water battery’, which stores the energy.
The new energy storage system at Tâmega high up in the Portuguese mountains, takes surplus energy from the grid, and then uses this resource to lift the water to a smaller dam higher up.
And then, when the grid is hungry during peak, the upper dam releases the energy to the pumps-become -generators, so it becomes electricity again. This electricity is sufficient to charge 400,000 electric vehicle batteries, or sustain 2.4 million homes for a full day, according to Financial Times.
More Information:
Home-Grown Hydro-Battery Power on Farms
