Access standards for energy storage power stations in zurich switzerland

Further, the introduction of a cost-covering fee for feed-in to the electricity grid, in order to subsidise new renewable energy sources in Switzerland, disadvantaged traditional hydro electricity producers. As a result, high prices during peak load times dropped, which substantially lowered the revenue stream of pumped storage plants.

In the past, a total of 14, mostly small sized pumped hydro storage plants, were built, the last of which was commissioned in 1990. However, the combined capacity of these plants only amounts to 1380 MW contributing to approximately 4.4% of the total electricity produced in Switzerland.

Hydropower plays an essential role in the Swiss electricity supply. In fact, over half of the country's electricity is generated by hydropower. Therefore it is not surprising that electricity has been traditionally stored in pumped storage power plants.

Leveraging a two-way flow of electricity from EV battery storage to balance power supply and demand could also help global efforts to integrate more renewables in the power mix. EVs can charge when renewable energy generation from wind or the sun is high or when there is lower demand for electricity ( e.g. when people are sleeping).