Dairyland Power Cooperative is collaborating with Mine Storage International AB and Michigan Technological University (MTU) to explore the potential for pumped storage hydropower in the Upper Midwest.
Dairyland will be evaluating the development of underground pumped hydro at closed mines, an opportunity that supports grid reliability and renewable energy generation while repurposing retired industrial sites in an innovative way, the company said.
Mine storage is a large-scale energy storage with low environmental impact, Mine Storage said. It transforms a mine into a circular asset by using the mine as a water reservoir and using the height difference and water to create a closed-loop pumped storage hydropower system. With excess generation from renewables, energy can be stored. When demand is high, electricity is generated and fed back into the grid.
Initially, Mine Storage, MTU and Dairyland will collaborate on investigations to find sites for potential development.
“Pumped hydro is an exciting opportunity for Dairyland as part of our commitment to adopting viable new storage technologies that support the clean energy transition,” said Dairyland President and Chief Executive Officer Brent Ridge. “The Mine Storage system brings unique benefits as it essentially recycles an existing, but unused, site into a flexible, carbon-free power storage system without some of the environmental concerns of traditional battery storage.”
Dairyland Power Cooperative, a Touchstone Energy Cooperative, was formed in 1941 and is headquartered in La Crosse, Wis. Dairyland is a generation and transmission cooperative providing the wholesale electrical requirements for 24 distribution cooperatives and 27 municipal utilities. Dairyland’s generating resources include coal, solar, wind, natural gas, hydro and biogas.
“The American market for energy storage is growing quickly,” said Mine Storage CEO Thomas Johansson. “We view Dairyland as a forward-thinking utility with an attractive location and a portfolio of energy resources. Dairyland also has a business strategy and corporate culture which makes a collaborative partnership ideal for us at Mine Storage when entering the U.S. market.”
Mine Storage is based in Sweden and develops abandoned mines into pumped hydro energy storage, a flexible resource similar to utility-scale battery storage.
MTU will serve as a technical resource as Dairyland explores potential development options. The university has led significant research and reporting on the potential of regional pumped hydro storage systems.
