In reply to the gentleman from Gill, letter April 15:
I have no idea what planet you were raised on, but it appears math and science were not part of the school systems curriculum.
Your statement “the pump storage facility cannot produce a single watt” Is out of this world, and flat out wrong.
Please read this very carefully: “The underground powerhouse includes four large reversible turbines, each capable of pumping 27,000 gallons of water per second and generating 270,000 kilowatts of electricity.”
This statement of facts is right from the Northfield Mountain web page.
The four turbines combined output exceeds 1,000 MW.
The electricity used to pump the water is from the Massachusetts grid.
The same grid that supplies the electricity used to charge a Chevy Volt, Tesla or other overpriced electric or Hybrid car — “Is this the smart way to use our resources?” — I say no.
Your improvised efficiency calculation is based on your own special math.
I do agree with you on how terribly low a solar panel’s efficiency rating is.
Jim Bates
Greenfield