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pumped storage

American

noun

a system for generating hydroelectric power for peak periods by pumping water from a lower to a higher reservoir during low-demand periods and then releasing it during peak periods.

pumped storage British

noun

(in hydroelectric systems) a method of using power at a period of low demand to pump water back up to a high storage reservoir so that it can be released to generate electricity at a period of peak demand

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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pumped storage

China accounted for roughly 12.2 GW of total capacity additions last year and dominates the sector with more than 300 GW under construction, including a 217.5 GW of pumped storage alone, the IHA adds.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 26, 2026

It’s called pumped storage, and it’s not a new concept.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 16, 2024

The company’s manager, Steve Irwin, said pumped storage is important but hard to build on the Navajo Nation’s land.

From Seattle Times ● Feb. 22, 2024

The Ness District Salmon Fishery Board wants an immediate moratorium on further pumped storage hydro schemes after plans were lodged for a third.

From BBC ● Jan. 5, 2024

As of 2022, the company depended on coal for 41% of its power generation, compared with 23% for hydroelectricity, wind, solar and pumped storage.

From Washington Times ● Nov. 29, 2023

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023