China is Building Gravity Batteries

The push for renewable energy sources has birthed a new problem: where will we store all that energy? What happens if the sun isn't up, there is no wind, but the city still needs power? This new technology just might be the answer: gravity batteries.

[davefroman]

China is investing in ALL types of energy storage. And doing it at scale. Gravity, pumped hydro, lithium and sodium batteries, even flywheels.

[evacuate_earth]

The old Amish used this idea to mechanically power fans and grain mills. They would use horses walking in circles to lift giant stone blocks, released later as needed.

[crazycool]

A gravity battery facility would make for an epic setting for a fight scene

[jonanon]

It's not 100 mega watts per hour. That's not a unit
It's 100 Mega-watt hours - which is 100 Mega watts for 1 hour or 50 Megawatts for 2 hours etc.

[Codetrix]

I love when a nation or humanity just comes together and engineers stuff like this rather than seek war all the time.

[TrangleC]

Mountain reservoirs are "gravity batteries" too and have been used as such for nearly 100 years.

[rm]

In 1ton block lifted 5metres high, there is 0.0136 kWh energy. Its lke in 1Ah 12V battery, which is about 60gram battery

[paultrauzzi]

Do the math, it doesn't make sense.
To power a house for a day you'd need to move a backyard pool size of concrete 100ft in the air.

[penguinista]

Pumping water is much more efficient and has far lower maintenance costs.

[BrianPalmieri-ku]

You can follow the flow of a river from the mountain to the ocean. During the course of the river you can tap the same flow of water multiple times to produce electricity with multiple hydroelectric generators.

[Nalkahn]

0:14 : "world first gravity energy storage system" ... what do you think is the Dinorwig Power Station doing since 1984... I stopped here.

[RobloxGamer-kx]

China is really coming up with real solutions. much respect.

[KungLao-bv]

I'm a 567lbs green hair unemployed person. I love channels like this that spout non sense but sound intelligent.

[blattimus]

This is pretty similar to my idea of putting giant springs in cars, then having winding stations to turn the big key.

[CommiePlasma]

Gravity batteries have been around for ages. When there is a surplus of energy, its used to pump water to a tank up on a mountain, when there is not enough energy the water is simply released and a turbine is spun to generate more power

[PlowenYourMom]

2:15 “while the world rushes to renewable energy”… The world is not rushing to renewable energy.

[Group_IV_Solar]

I was SUPER excited about this technology when I first heard about it (nearly 10 years ago)…until I did some math and figured that even over 400m, (~ height of the Freedom Tower without its spire) a 1 ton weight would only have 1 kWh of potential energy. At 80% efficiency and the fact that so many blocks won’t get lifted very high, seems pretty garbage to me.

[YangJi]

80% efficiency seems rather optimistic

[stefanmaier]

Rather big investment and complex facility for something with just 25 MWp Output. That is roughly the Output of 2 Wind Turbines with 100 MWh total capacity that is 4 hours of "battery" life from this facility when fully called upon. Not that impressive compared to Pumped storage Hydro plants, which have power output in the Gigwatt range, while also having capacities that for some exceed a full day at full discharge.

[Gaston-Melchiori]

We need to use Thorium salt power plants alongside solar and wind. They are way more efficient and completely safe.