Bricks Energy storage based on gravity and kinetic energy.

[luisenriquereyes]

Interesting technology by Energy Vault:

 

[svetz]

I saw a really amusing debunking video on that idea. The guy loved the windmill, one his spiels was something like "Windy enough to turn a turbine? Then it's windy enough to move the blocks on long cables out of position"

 

[bulrush]

This sounds more like a scam or from someone who didn't do their due diligence and calculations. It doesn't sound very efficient with all those physical moving parts.

 

[svetz]

Theoretically gravity can be pretty efficient because electric motors can be pretty efficient and age well. Similarly flywheels with magnetic bearings have hit 97% efficiency (ref). It just takes someone to figure out the materials and science to make it expedient. But even then hard to compete when currently round-trip efficiency of LiFePo4 is 85 to 96% depending on you who believe (Victron says 92% ref). Plus, lithium fits in the home.

Most of the worlds energy storage today is the slightly less efficient technique of pumping water uphill to charge and downhill to discharge. Although like the flywheel, round-trip efficiency is only around 85%.

 

[David in nh]

look at this