Assessing the feasibility of pumped storage and FPV at the Henry Borden plant in Brazil

The Henry Borden high-head hydro plant, in the metropolitan region of São Paulo, with a 720 m head and installed capacity of 889 MW, operates on average at only 23 per cent of its installed capacity as a result of water-use regulations. This situation, combined with the new hourly energy spot market price in Brazil, relating to high frequency intermittent and short-term generation, led to a study to consider transforming the plant into a hybrid, pumped-storage hydro plant with a floating photovoltaic system. Results indicate that, for both economic and technical reasons, the pumped-storage element will be beneficial by 2037.