Pumped hydroelectric storage remains the lowest-cost, lowest-risk and lowest-impact means of providing large, incremental blocks of storage capacity within the global utility space. According the Electric Power Research Institute, there is approximately 127,000 megawatts of pumped storage capacity operating worldwide. The largest facility in the world, at 3,000 megawatts is located in Bath County, Virginia.

Pumped storage technology uses two reservoirs at different elevations to manage fluctuating electricity values. When electricity values are low, water is pumped to the higher of the two reservoirs. This energy is stored until electricity values peak, at which time gravity is used to reverse the water flow, allowing large turbines to generate electricity at much higher values.

In most cases, the powerhouse and water conveyance systems are located underground, significantly reducing the environmental footprint of the process. Clean Balance Power believes the Lower Mainland of British Columbia possesses sites that could generate in excess of 1000 megawatts of energy for over 6 hours.