Pumpspeicher - Besser als ihr Ruf?

According to the EU Taxonomy regulation, pumped storage hydro power plants are the only energy storage technology which has to prove that their life cycle greenhouse gas emission are below the threshold of 100 g CO₂ per kWh. This article analyses and compares the greenhouse gas emissions during the life cycle of a pumped storage hydro power plant, a battery storage and a hydrogen storage. It is further pointed out that the new energy storage technologies will not only lead to a higher demand of ressources but also new ecological and political challenges.