Last week, a visit to a power plant left me questioning the very foundation of my physics...

The original post appeared on LinkedIn. You can view it below on Linkedin or scroll below for the web version.

Last week, a visit to a power plant left me questioning the very foundation of my physics knowledge.

The engineer explained, “We pump water from a lower reservoir to a higher one, then release the stored water to generate electricity.”

Isn’t this a blatant violation of the first and second laws of thermodynamics? Conservation of energy? The inevitability of entropy? How could the output energy ever exceed the input energy?

Surely, energy must dissipate due to friction and inefficiencies—basic thermodynamics, right?

To simplify: imagine starting with 10 apples but somehow ending up with 12 apples. Sounds impossible, doesn’t it?

Here’s the twist: Power can't be generated when measured in Joules per second, but it can when measured in ₹!

Let’s revisit the apple analogy. Suppose you could buy 20 apples for the cost of 10 during a sale. Even if a few apples spoil, you’re still left with more than you started with—say, 12 apples.

This is essentially what’s happening at the Purulia Pumped Storage Project (PPSP). It’s less a power plant and more a colossal battery for storing energy.

The primary goal of PPSP is to flatten the demand curve. It "buys" cheap electricity during off-peak hours to pump water to the higher reservoir. When demand spikes and electricity prices soar, it releases the water to generate electricity and meet peak demand.

So, while it doesn’t generate energy or violate law of thermodynaimcs, it certainly generate value by smartly balancing supply and demand.

A clever engineering solution, isn’t it?

Pic: Bengal Darshan - Purulia Pumped Storage Project