Stage 9 ended up near the Poppy Canyon Lower dam. The aqueduct will release water to the dams when necessary to compensate for evaporation and seepage losses, but it will otherwise be independent of the aqueduct. The upper dam is 400 feet high and will top out at 5360 feet with a maximum water level at 5350 feet. The lower dam is 480 feet high, and the water tops out at 4670 feet. This stage can deliver peak energy only 5 hours a day, or deliver the day’s worth of peak energy whenever called for. To make this possible there will be a tunnel and pumping station capable of delivering up to 95,000 cfs when called for. The drop is maximum (5360 – 4200) = 1160 feet and minimum (4950– 4670) = 280 feet with an average of 720 feet, delivering 5.3 GW of pumped hydro-storage peak power for 5 hours a day for a total of 26.5 GWh. For the other 19 hours a day water will be pumped up from the lower dam to the upper dam, requiring sixteen 100 MW LFTR power stations, or 30 GWh. the difference is because of the 93 percent efficiency in the turbines and generators. But for 5 hours a day the 16 LFTR’s will produce 1.6 GW of virtual peak power.
Here as always, the preferable power to lift the water will be produced by excess solar and wind power. But when the sun doesn’t shine and the wind doesn’t blow. the power has to be available. When excess power is available these LFTR plants are free to produce hydrogen, to be stored and used for more peak power
Len Bilén's blog, a blog about faith, politics and the environment. 