I think the idea here was simply to use the excess energy to stock up on potable water, which people could drink later, rather than to also use it for pumped storage.
> I think the idea here was simply to use the excess energy to stock up on potable water, which people could drink later, rather than to also use it for pumped storage.
If it was a reasonable and profitable use of energy we would already be doing it, but we're not because its ruinously expensive. You also run into storage issues (how much of your excess power is being evaporated from the surface of your storage reservoir? The longer you hold your potable water the more you throw away). You also need to consider what you're going to do with the highly saline byproduct of any such process.
There's nothing wrong with purifying water but its very energy intensive and already something we do. Adding more expensive potable water from excess energy generation doesn't make much sense.
If it was a reasonable and profitable use of energy we would already be doing it, but we're not because its ruinously expensive. You also run into storage issues (how much of your excess power is being evaporated from the surface of your storage reservoir? The longer you hold your potable water the more you throw away). You also need to consider what you're going to do with the highly saline byproduct of any such process.
There's nothing wrong with purifying water but its very energy intensive and already something we do. Adding more expensive potable water from excess energy generation doesn't make much sense.