Gianelli Power Plant

Gianelli Power Plant[1]
Aerial photograph of the Gianelli Power plant.
Aerial photograph of the San Luis (William R. Gianelli) Power plant.
CountryUnited States
LocationMerced County, California
Coordinates37°03′33″N 121°04′29″W / 37.05917°N 121.07472°W / 37.05917; -121.07472
StatusOperational
Opening dateJune 3, 1960 (1960-06-03)
Owner(s)State of California
Operator(s)United States Bureau of Reclamation
Upper reservoir
CreatesSan Luis Reservoir
Total capacity2,041,000 acre feet
Lower reservoir
CreatesO'Neill Forebay
Total capacity56,400 acre feet
Power Station
Hydraulic head290 feet
Pump-generators8
Installed capacity424 MW[2]
Storage capacity126,352 MW·h[2]
Annual generation123,48 GW·h (2009)[3]
311,54 GW·h (2012)[3]
111,80 GW·h (2014)[3]
Website
usbr.gov

The Gianelli Power Plant, also known as the San Luis Power Plant, is a pumped-storage hydroelectric plant that is at the base of the San Luis Dam in California. During the wet season, turbines pump water from the O'Neill Forebay into the reservoir, then when needed during the irrigation season, water flows from the reservoir back through the turbines and generates electricity.[4] This is an unusual use of pumped storage where the intention is to capture irrigation water not to store power. Storage capacity delivers up to 298 hours of generation at full power.

  1. ^ "Powerplant details — San Luis (William R. Gianelli) Powerplant". United States Bureau of Reclamation. 16 Dec 2013. Retrieved 30 May 2016.
  2. ^ a b "San Luis (William R. Gianelli) Pumped Storage Hydroelectric Powerplant". DOE Global Energy Storage Database. 12 April 2013. Archived from the original on 11 June 2016. Retrieved 30 May 2016.
  3. ^ a b c "Mapping drought's impact on electricity generation". 7 July 2015. Retrieved 10 August 2016.
  4. ^ "DOE Global Energy Storage Database". Archived from the original on 2016-06-11. Retrieved 2016-05-30.