Castaic Power Plant

Tatyana Melkonian

Castaic Power Plant, also known as the Castaic Pumped-Storage Plant, operated by the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, which provides peak load power. A set of pipes called penstocks bring water 7.5 miles from Pyramid Lake. Transformers and other equipment based on site transfer electricity produced at the site to transmission lines that bring power to Los Angeles for periods of peak demand. The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power has turned two big lakes into a monster battery capable of storing enough energy to power tens of thousands of homes. It involves using the excess wind and solar power L.A.'s renewable energy sites produce during the day to pump water from Castaic Lake uphill 7.5 miles to Pyramid Lake. Then, late in the day, when the sun goes down and the city's energy demand spikes, the water gets run downhill through hydroelectric generators at Castaic Lake. The next day, the cycle starts over again.

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