The project foregrounds the need to promote renewable energy production in the United States and specifically proposes to utilize abandoned underground coal mining sites for hydro-pump electricity storage in Greene County, Pennsylvania.

The water collected in the subterranean caverns comprises a form of embedded energy that can be easily harnessed by using time-honored methods of hydroelectric power generation. During the night, when energy consumption is generally low, the water is pumped into surface lakes and then channeled through turbines to produce electricity during daytime peak consumption hours. Water is basically recirculated in endless loops from reservoirs below ground to lakes above ground, taking advantage of the altitude differential to produce clean energy.

Read project feature in 4th Holcim Awards 2014/2015 (flip-book)