Tens of thousands of solar panels will go online in coming years, providing an opportunity to reduce the nation’s dependence on fossil fuels.But it also raises the thorny question of how best to store up all of that energy at times during the day when it’s not needed, for use later on.Arizona’s mountain and river systems provide a tantalizing possibility: convert it to hydropower.Salt River Project, the public utility company, is pursuing an ambitious plan to pump water uphill using solar power when that power is abundant during morning and midday hours.The water then would be released to spin turbines and generate electricity during evening hours when the sun isn’t shining yet energy demand remains high. The water would be pumped back uphill when daylight returns the next morning, when demand is relatively low.SRP officials want to pursue this on the Salt River syste …
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