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• Operating principle and configuration method for energy storage pump are proposed. • Quantified how pump affects renewable energy consumption in a hybrid power system. • The capacity relationship between pump and hydropower plant is investigated. • The configuration that maximizes the investment profit of pump is identified. Coupling energy storage pumps with conventional hydropower plants is one of the most valuable methods to increase the consumption rate of renewable energy. There are few small-scale hybrid power systems configurating energy storage pumps in the world (e.g., Ikaria Island, Greece). However, whether the operating principle and configuration method are feasible and transferable for a large-scale renewable energy base is unclear. This study proposes specific operating principles and configuration method for a large-scale hybrid power system, demonstrating the feasibility by investigating typical scenarios of an engineering case in Qinghai Province, China. Assume the conventional hydropower plants, wind farms, and PV stations in the case are constructed and in operation completely. The configuration relationship between energy storage pump and hydropower is investigated by setting the unit of energy storage pump from 1 to 50, the per-kW investment cost from CNY 5000 /kW to CNY 30000 /kW under the constraint of individual capacity of 100 MW. Furthermore, the economic indicators of internal rate of return and dynamic payback period are introduced to evaluate the performance of the whole hybrid power system. The configuration consequence of 18–21 pumps shows a good relation with renewable energy. This study provides theoretical and technical support for planning relevant hybrid power station projects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]