Energy Vault, a Swiss energy company, has announced its big plans to construct a massive storage battery in Townsville, Queensland (QLD), which will change the game for rural communities. Why?
It turns out that the large storage battery can be constructed anywhere. The catch is the battery will be as tall as a 20-storey building. Therefore, local communities should be consulted first before a huge battery like this is built.
When implemented, the battery can support industry developments in rural and regional areas. In addition, it could also create jobs in these areas.
The Townsville project
The battery proposal in Townsville will be the first ever to use this kind of technology in the country. To elaborate, the technology utilises surplus energy to raise 35-tonne blocks made from recycled materials.
It works the same way as pumped hydro, in which it uses gravity to produce kinetic energy. According to Robert Piconi, the Energy Vault CEO, “What we did was mirror gravity but solved to make something where you didn’t need any mountains or rivers and do not need to disrupt wildlife ecosystems. We can build it anywhere you can build a 20-storey building.”
Why gravity storage is great
One of the best things about the technology used for this battery storage is that it can store power longer; hence, for industries that consume a lot of energy, it’s an appealing option.
In addition to this, this also helps reduce the dependency on various elements, such as lithium. As a result, it is a sustainable solution that could lead the country a couple of steps forward to reach its renewable goal.
What goes up must come down
It’s true that there are now many ways to reach a cleaner future—some are focusing on hydrogen, whilst others want to focus more on bigger lithium-ion batteries. In the case of gravity battery, it’s all about the limitless force around us.
It’s pretty simple—when there’s plenty of green energy, you can use it to haul a massive weight to a predetermined height. On the other hand, when the source is limited, releasing the load can generate power via the downward gravitational pull.
As mentioned, it works like hydro energy, and you might be wondering why don’t we just stick to that since it’s been already tried and tested? The thing with hydro energy is that it’s big, expensive, and it requires specific geographical requirements. As a result, hydro energy’s scalability will take a lot of time and work.
And since Australia is on the move to reach net zero, there needs to be an energy storage system that can be placed almost anywhere and at scale.
Investors need more convincing
There is a number of people who find the technology promising and see a lot of potential in it. However, the need for investors is there—and they need a bit more convincing. Alternative technologies like this often come with a significant risk, which is why investors become more careful.
In fact, ten years ago, solar was received exactly the same way. Eventually, more investors become more open to it; and here we are today, making the most out of it whilst developing new technologies to sustain the power of solar energy better.
Nevertheless, a growing number of orders are coming to Energy Vault, garnering interest from many investors across the US, Europe, the Middle East, China, and more.
What about grid balance?
There are also concerns about electricity grids and gravity storage, as the current grids we have today are only designed to work with conventional power stations. The grid must stay balanced, so energy operators must match supply and demand. However, things can be tricky when dealing with an intermittent source of energy.
The good thing about a gravity battery is that its weight paired with its slow descent, can generate a lot of torque. Hence, it will let the system deliver maximum power. With this, the technology can help maintain grid equilibrium, which may reduce the risk of major damage to infrastructure and blackouts.
Energy Matters has over 17 years of experience in the solar industry and has helped over 40,000 Australian households in their journey to energy independence.
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