German coal mine transforming into hydroelectric battery

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The coal mine is scheduled to close in 2018, and will then be transformed into a 200 MW pumped-storage hydroelectric reservoir.

The Prosper-Haniel hard coal mine will hold enough energy to power more than 400,000 homes, and act as a mega battery from next year on, according to Hannelore Kraft, state governor of North Rhine-Westphalia. When needed to compensate for temporary drop in wind and solar power output due to weather conditions, up to 1 million cubic meter...