View Single Post
Old 09-13-2021, 01:02 PM   #26 (permalink)
JSH
AKA - Jason
 
JSH's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2009
Location: PDX
Posts: 3,477

Adventure Seeker - '04 Chevy Astro - Campervan
90 day: 17.3 mpg (US)
Thanks: 305
Thanked 2,050 Times in 1,384 Posts
Quote:
Originally Posted by cRiPpLe_rOoStEr View Post
It's not so clear how lowering the blocks with a crane could effectively provide electric power. Would it require a special crane with some feature similar to the regenerative braking featured on hybrid cars?
That is exactly how it works. When the grid has surplus electricity you use it to run the electric motors on the crane and stack blocks. When the grid needs electricity you unstack blocks, gravity turns the electric motor which acts as a generator and produces electricity. Just like an electric motor in an EV or hybrid.

Energy Vault's key innovation is stacking lots of smaller blocks with an autonomous crane. By using small weights the lifting structure can be built with inexpensive off-the-shelf construction crane components.
  Reply With Quote