One of Europe’s major renewable energy sources, the country of Switzerland, has begun using its water battery

Switzerland already has one of the largest renewable energy sources in Europe in operation. The country has activated what they call a 20 million kWh ‘water battery’ (the equivalent of about 40,000 electric car batteries), after 14 years of development and after an investment of 2,000 million euros, as Euronews confirmed. The objective of this new plant is to guarantee power supplies not only for the country but also for the rest of Europe. The so-called ‘water battery’ is a system designed to generate hydroelectric power. It is also called a pumped hydroelectric plant, and it works thanks to two reservoirs responsible for storing water that is located at different heights.

This allows that in those months when energy production is high, the lower reservoir can transport excess water to the upper reservoir and, in this way, store it —or recharge it as if it were a battery—. Thus, in those seasons when energy production is not high, but its consumption is, the upper reservoir can send the water back to the lower pool. It also does so through a turbine that generates electricity.

Switzerland’s ‘water battery’, while not the first such renewable energy source to be built, has been one of the most expensive. Also one of the most complicated. It has taken 14 years to complete due to its difficult location. This is located between the Swiss Alps, 600 meters underground, and in an area where the engineers, to transport the materials, had to design and build an 18-kilometer-long tunnel. To increase the storage capacity of the hydroelectric plant, modifications were also made to the Vieux Emosson dam. Specifically, it has increased its height by 20 meters more. As a result, they have built a plant with six pump turbines capable of generating a total power of 900 MW and thus supplying energy to around 900,000 homes.

According to Elon Musk, Spain might have Europe’s greatest source of renewable energy

Meanwhile, in Spain, the Government maintains its commitment to renewable energies with an investment of more than 16,000 million euros. Investment is destined, mainly, to advance in the carbon-neutral energy transition. Spain, precisely, could be another of the countries with one of the largest sources of renewable energy.

At least, that’s what Elon Musk said, who just a few months ago said in a tweet that “Spain should build a massive solar array” and that it “could power all of Europe.” Spain is also one of the most optimal countries in Europe for the installation of solar panels. This, however, is the fourth most used renewable energy in the country. It is below hydraulic, combined cycle, and wind power, according to data from Red Eléctrica de España.