Pumped Hydropower Storage in the Netherlands

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Pumped Hydropower Storage in the Netherlands Delft University of Technology, MSc. Thesis Civil Engineering Pumped hydropower storage in the Netherlands A study at large-scale energy storage and the transformation of the Slufter from a silt depot to a pumped hydro-electricity storage system B. Kibrit 29 November 2013 st.nr: 1354027 Thesis committee: Prof.dr.ir. Bas Jonkman Ir. Ad van der Toorn Dr.ir. Wout Broere Ing. Gert Jan ter Haar This page is intentionally left blank i Preface Preface This graduation thesis is written as part of the Master specialization Hydraulic Engineering at the Faculty of Civil Engineering and Geosciences of the Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands. The thesis is divided in parts to keep it structured. The following parts are discerned: Part A poses the problems and provides an extensive contextual literature study of the energy market and power generation Part B defines the criteria to solve the issue and makes a first leap at solving the problem by looking at possible energy storage methods and designing alternatives Part C is focused on the development and proposition of a specific solution: The Slufter Appendices forms the back-up of this thesis and comprises of all the appendices Together, these parts form one chronological analysis towards creating a feasible energy storage solution for the Netherlands. I wish you pleasant reading… Baris Kibrit Student number: 1354027 [email protected] ii Acknowledgements Acknowledgements To acknowledge every person that has contributed to the conception of this thesis is impossible, so I hope that the sentiments expressed to those mentioned on this page can be extended to all contributors. First, I would like to thank my daily supervisor ir. Ad van der Toorn, for continuously inspiring and helping to a degree that is noticeable only with an attentive ear. I believe that because of this, the learning process has been even greater. Many thanks to my professors prof.dr.ir. Bas Jonkman and dr.ir. Wout Broere, for being a part of my thesis committee and taking off some time from their busy schedules to read my submissions critically. A special word of thanks to ing. Gert Jan ter Haar and engineering firm Lievense for being so hospitable and opening up their doors and knowledge. The possibility to go in any time and ask questions has been the support from the right direction and has been very motivational throughout the process. This thesis is more than the words and applied physics presented in the following pages. It represents the months of work, the stress, the excitement of a proven hypothesis… and all the bits and pieces of small contributions from family and friends in any form, either technical or motivational…the little push in the back when Murphy’s law is valid. An evaluation of the thesis has been added to Appendix Z. My gratitude is endless iii Abstract Abstract While Europe moves towards modern renewable energy sources, the problems of variability and intermittency remain largely unsolved and contribute to the unreliability of these energy sources. At the same time, the problems of balancing the daily peak-demand is still performed with expensive conventional fossil fueled units because there are no cleaner alternatives. Sitting perfectly in between supply and demand is a solution with the potential of solving both problems: energy storage. The possibilities for large scale energy storage are limited due to under-developed technologies, such as chemical batteries and conceptual ideas of hydrogen fuel cells. This is accompanied by the denial for a need of energy storage by the promoters of international power trade. It remains a mystery where the power will come from when all countries need their maximum output during peak hours and when the entire region produces low wind power due to low wind speeds. Whereas developing technologies offer potential for future application, hydropower shines by being used for decades for the purposes of energy storage in the form of Pumped Hydropower Storage (PHS). The exclusivity of hydropower for elevated countries is challenged by offering alternatives for PHS in the Netherlands. These alternatives are grouped according to their favor for either surface size with the Storage Islands, or towards the depth with the Underground PHS’s. Due to the uncertainty and low suitability of possible locations for Underground PHS, the Storage Islands have the preference, supported by the strong Dutch tradition of living with water and land reclamation. Among the alternatives is a silt depot in the Maasvlakte which is losing its purpose, named the Slufter, which outperforms the others in a cost-benefit analysis due to the low expected primary investment and the highly suitability for this application without changing Dutch topography and in which the currently stored contaminated silt of 78 million m3 can be maintained. Transforming the Slufter from a silt depot to an energy storage system is worked out technically. A high reservoir is created at a level of +39m NAP that is enclosed by an upgrade of 17 meters to the current dams at +23m NAP. Major failure mechanisms have been modeled and analyzed using two finite-element method software packages and it was found that the fast lowering of the reservoir level is normative for dam stability. The technical design is finalized so that the planning and costs of the construction could be made in order to speak qualitatively about the design. The system confirms its potential with a competitive unit price of 54 €/MWh and possibilities are offered for expansion of the 3.14 km2 reservoir as a result of the future demand for storage. A profitable system is created that generates power during the day and stores power in the night with the interaction between the high reservoir and the lower lying North Sea. The performance is optimized to be similar to a medium power plant with a peak power output of 470 MW and with an energy storing capacity of 2.16 GWh, the generation duration is 6 hours at maximum capacity (while power output drops with the reservoir level). With this performance, the system satisfies the peak-balancing needs of Zuid- Holland, Zeeland and a large part of Noord-Holland, while providing enough wind power balancing to fit the needs of Zuid-Holland in the coming decade. Using the imbalance between the daily and nightly power prices, the system annually benefits €20 million from power trade and saves €10 million fuel costs. The Slufter as a storage system offers a promising clean alternative to the current gas-fueled peak- generation-units and potential for the future power market in which variable renewable energy sources play a large role. iv Abstract (Dutch) Abstract (Dutch)1 Terwijl Europa zich steeds meer richting de hernieuwbare energiebronnen beweegt, blijven de problemen omtrent de variabiliteit onopgelost en dragen zij bij aan de onbetrouwbaarheid van deze energiebronnen. Tegelijkertijd worden de pieklasten opgevangen met dure, fossiel gestookte centrales door het gebrek aan schone en/of goedkopere alternatieven. Tussen deze vraag- en aanbodsproblemen zit een oplossing met het potentieel om beide op te lossen: energie-opslag. De mogelijkheden voor grootschalig energie-opslag worden sterk beperkt door onvolwassen technologiën zoals de chemische batterijen en waterstof-brandstofcel. Dit wordt versterkt door een ontkenning van een behoefte aan opslag door aanhangers van internationale handel in energie, ondanks dat de meeste West-Europese landen een soorgelijk levenstijl, dezelfde pieklasten en soortgelijke klimatologische verschijnselen hebben. Het is daardoor een mysterie waar de stroom vandaan moet komen wanneer allen een grote piek-last ervaren en er zwakke windsnelheden in het gebied worden gemeten. Terwijl de technologiën in ontwikkeling mogelijkheden voor de toekomst bieden, schittert waterkracht door al decennia gebruikt te worden voor energie-opslag in de vorm van Pumped Hydropower Storage (PHS). De exclusiviteit van waterkracht voor hooggelegen landen wordt uitgedaagd door het presenteren van mogelijkheden voor PHS in Nederland. Deze alternatieven zijn gegroepeerd volgens de voorkeur voor ofwel een groot oppervlak met de Storage Islands, ofwel de diepte met Underground PHS. Door de onzekerheid en ongeschiktheid van mogelijke locaties voor Underground PHS, hebben de Storaeg Islands de voorkeur, gesteund door een eeuwenoude Nederlandse traditie om samen met water te leven en land uit zee te creëren. Een van deze alternatieven is een slib-depot dat zijn functie grotendeels heeft verloren genaamd “De Slufter”. Dit alternatief overtreft anderen in een kosten-baten-analyse vanwege de lage investeringskosten en de geschiktheid voor PHS zonder veranderingen in de topografie van Nederland. De plannen incorpereren het opgeslagen slib wat er nu al ligt, wat dus kan blijven liggen. Het voorstel om van de Slufter een energie-opslag-systeem te maken wordt ondersteund met een technische uitwerking. Een hoog reservoir op +39m NAP wordt omringd door dammen op +40m NAP, een verhoging van 17 m bovenop de huidige +23m NAP. Het systeem bewaart en genereert energie door het pompen van- en het loslaten in de Noordzee. Hiermee presteert de Slufter vergelijkbaar met een gemiddelde energiecentrale in Nederland en met een piek-vermogen van 470 MW. Met een opslag van 2.16 GWh kan gedurende 6 uur stroom gegenereerd worden (terwijl het vermogen daalt met het waterniveau). Gebruikmakend van het verschil in de dagelijkse en nachtelijkse stroomprijs, wordt verwacht dat het systeem €20 miljoen per jaar genereerd en €10 milioen aan brandstofkosten bespaard. De snelle verlaging van de waterstand is maatgevend voor de stabiliteit. Hiervoor zijn de dammen gemodelleerd met twee eindige-elementen-paketten. De planning en kosten zijn berekend zodat de resultaten kwantitatief kunnen worden besproken. Het systeem bevestigt zijn potentieel met een concurerende eenheidsprijs van 54 €/MWh en er worden mogelijkheden geboden voor verder uitbreiding van het 3.14 km2 grote reservoir om aan de toekomstige vraag voor opslag te voldoen.
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