I guess it could be used to pump water into a reservoir. Thermodynamically impure, but what are you gonna do?

We already HAVE *existing* technology that's cleaner than fossil fuel power. Nuclear fission. Hydro. Wind. Solar. Geothermal. It's a question of IMPLEMENTATION and ENGINEERING at this point, not research of the same level that produced the atom bombs.

Stable grid? Use nuclear for base load. Hell, keep a few fossil plants for peaking load in emergencies.

Better than spending ... oh ... several trillion on murdering brown people in the Middle East for the sake of "oil suckurinety." And don't think this won't continue, even with domestic oil sources.

If green energy development and conversion can be done for $50 billion ($166 per citizen), that's chump change and money damned well spent. Of course, a good Christian like you probably thinks the heathen bastids in certain countries had it coming, so one can't really argue with you.

The Snowy hydro scheme was designed in the early 1950's. At the time it was supposed to be the largest in the world. In recent years the greenies have been lobbying to have natural flows returned. As the price of electricity goes up they may have second thoughts.

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Grumpy Old Diesel Owners Club group

I no longer question authority, I annoy authority. More effect, less effort....

1967 230-6 auto parts car. rust bucket.
1980 300D now parts car 800k miles
1984 300D 500k miles
1987 250td 160k miles English import
2001 jeep turbo diesel 130k miles
1998 jeep tdi ~ followed me home. Needs a turbo.
1968 Ford F750 truck. 6-354 diesel conversion.
Other toys ~J.D.,Cat & GM ~ mainly earth moving

Got the same thing right here in the good ole USA, a few miles from my house-- and built over 40 years ago.

from Wiki:
Muddy Run Pumped Storage Facility is a pumped-storage hydroelectric generation facility in Drumore Township, Pennsylvania, USA. When completed in 1968,[1] Muddy Run was the largest pumped-storage facility in the world. The facility is operated by the Susquehanna Electric Company, a subsidiary of Exelon Generation.

The facility's upper reservoir is the 1,000 acre (400 ha) Muddy Run Reservoir, with a full pool elevation of over 500 feet (150 m), and a usable storage capacity of 1,466,000,000 cubic feet (41.5 hm³) or 33,650 acre feet (41,510,000 m3). Muddy Run Reservoir was created by damming Muddy Run with a 4,800 foot (1,500 m) long, 250 foot (76 m) high, rock-filled dam[1]. The lower reservoir is the Conowingo Reservoir, created in the Susquehanna River by the Conowingo Dam, with a normal pool elevation of 109 feet (33 m). The power house uses excess grid capacity during off peak hours to pump water from the Conowingo Reservoir into the upper reservoir through four 25 foot (7.6 m) diamter, 343 vertical foot (105 m) shafts. During peak power demand periods, the water is allowed to flow back from the lake through the shafts to the eight turbines causing the pumps to act as generators. Muddy Run has a capacity of 1,071 megawatts.[2]

The Muddy Run electrical machinery was designed by the noted engineer Eugene C. Whitney of Westinghouse Electric Company, who designed the machinery for the Grand Coulee Dam #3 powerhouse. Whitney "was present when the machines were first to be started. The operator was reluctant to take the first step. Gene said, 'Call your boss.' The boss said, 'If Gene says to start the machines, start them.' So they did, and water rose from the lower Susquehanna River to the upper reservoir, 400 feet above".[3]

The upper reservoir extends into Martic Township. The area around the upper reservoir is operated as a park, complementing the nearby Susquehannock State Park. Susquehannock State Park has an overlook trail with a good view of the Muddy Run facility.

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1982 300SD " Wotan" ..On the road as of Jan 8, 2007 with Historic Tags