By Theodore Pupilla | Alumni Editor

December 4, 2023

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Humanity urgently needs to address unsustainable development and adapt to the ever-growing world population.[1] The use of fossil fuels has led to harmful impacts on the atmosphere. Traditional non-renewable fuels are not sustainable.[2] Thus, clean, affordable, and reliable energy is a crucial issue that needs to be addressed. A combination of various generation sources and programs will likely be required to provide electricity sustainably.[3]

            The energy trilemma, also known as the three-legged stool of sustainability, is essential to consider because it represents the environmental, financial, and social implications of any decision addressing sustainable development.[4] Renewable energy is seen as the sustainable solution, and individuals, businesses, and governments must invest in it.[5] Vermont legislators must now come together and encourage pumped hydropower energy storage technologies.

            Pumped hydropower energy storage is an energy storage technology that pumps water from a lower elevation to a higher elevation and uses the natural power of gravity to generate electricity when needed.[6] There are two primary forms of pumped hydropower energy storage: open-loop and closed-loop.[7] Closed-loop pumped hydropower energy storage has considerably less potential for an adverse environmental impact than an open-loop system.[8] Open-loop projects connect a naturally flowing waterway from a lower elevation to a reservoir at a higher elevation for the energy storage system.[9] In contrast, closed-loop pumped hydropower energy storage systems are not connected to a naturally flowing waterway.[10]

            Pumped hydropower energy storage systems are essential to combat issues of curtailment.[11] Curtailment is the process that occurs when there is more energy produced than required by the demand within the energy grid.[12] An energy grid is a network of power generation sources, transmission lines, and distribution systems that work to provide electricity for end-use consumers.[13] The electricity grid is designed to deliver reliable and continuous electricity to meet the required demand of the end-use consumers.[14] Wind power only produces energy when the wind is blowing, and the sun only produces energy when the sun is shining.[15] This intermittent power supply does not always match the needed demand of the electricity grid.[16] A pumped storage hydropower energy system can store the energy when demand is needed rather than let the excess energy be produced from renewable sources.[17]

            Humanity has developed an antagonistic relationship with Mother Earth, and it’s time to stop it. It is possible to change the sources of energy that provide power for society. Closed-circuit pumped hydropower storage is necessary for the renewable energy mix to provide a sustainable grid. Investing in reliable renewable energy in Vermont will help contribute to a sustainable future.

[1] See 1771 U.N.T.S. United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (1992) (showing the human effect on the environment).

[2] Joseph Manning, Myopic Madness: Breaking the Stranglehold of Shareholder Short-Termism to Address Climate Change and Build a Sustainable Economy, 10 Ariz. J. Env’t L. & Pol’y 425, 438 (2020).

[3] See generally John A. Sautter, The Energy Trilemma in the Green Mountain State: An Analysis of Vermont’s Energy Challenges and Policy Options, 10 Vt. J. Env’t L. 477 (2009).

[4] Id.

[5] Steven Chu & Arun Majumdar, Opportunities and Challenges for a Sustainable Energy Future, 488 nature 294 (2012).

[6] Types of Hydropower Plants, Energy.gov, https://www.energy.gov/eere/water/types-hydropower-plants#:~:text=SIZES%20OF%20HYDROELECTRIC%20POWER%20PLANTS&text=Although%20definitions%20vary%2C%20DOE%20defines,than%2030%20megawatts%20(MW).&text=Although%20definitions%20vary%2C%20DOE%20defines%20small%20hydropower%20plants%20as%20projects,100%20kilowatts%20and%2010%20MW (last visited Dec. 3, 2023).

[7] WPTO Studies Find Big Opportunities to Expand Pumped Storage Hydropower, Energy.gov (June 13, 2022), https://www.energy.gov/eere/water/articles/wpto-studies-find-big-opportunities-expand-pumped-storage-hydropower.

[8] Id.

[9] Id. A naturally flowing waterway is an overly broad term used as an ambiguous catch-all term to entail all waterways that naturally flow without man-made origins. Id.

[10] Id.

[11] Paul Denholm et al., Overgeneration from Solar Energy in California: A field Guide to the Duck Chart 1-10 (2015); David Roberts, Solar Power’s Greatest Challenge was Discovered 10 Years ago. It Looks Like a Duck., Vox (Aug. 29, 2018), https://www.vox.com/energy-and-environment/2018/3/20/17128478/solar-duck-curve-nrel-researcher.

[12] Paul Denholm et al., supra note 11; David Roberts, supra note 11.

[13] Paul Denholm et al., supra note 11; David Roberts, supra note 11.

[14] Paul Denholm et al., supra note 11; David Roberts, supra note 11.

[15] David Roberts, supra note 11, at 15.

[16] Paul Denholm et al., supra note 11; David Roberts, supra note 11.

[17] Energy.gov, supra note 7.