Pumped-Storage Hydro-Electric Plants

The Rocky River hydro-electric development, recently completed near New Milford, Conn., is the first modern plant in America to pump water into a reservoir with off-peak power, in order to produce on-peak power later. In connection with this project, a search of engineering literature was made for data on similar plants built elsewhere. The number of such plants was discovered to be forty-two. Ten other plants have been proposed in Europe (including one 600 000-kw. installation) and thirty-six in America. The rapid increase in size of units and total installations and the number of plants built in Europe in the past few years, when considered with the building of the first large plant in the United States, make it appear that America is on the threshold of a new phase in hydro-electric development.