Empty Hydroelectric Power Storage Facility Turned Velodrome

img_6926 The images are from back in July, but riding in this empty hydroelectric power storage facility is no less fun looking today. Slovenian fixed-gear blog Muslauf posted the images, and a brief report from the day, “Surface is very smooth hydroisolation coating, so perfect for riding. That complex is reeeeeally huge.”

The facility is interesting in it’s own right, acting essentially as a gravity fed battery. By filling the giant basin with water when there is excess power generation Slovenia is converting excess electric power to potential energy. Opening the basin drain to run the water through hydroelectric turbines then converts the potential energy back into electricity as needed. For a bit more information, see this Treehugger post about how Norway may use similar methods to become a giant battery for all of Europe.

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