The Energy Vault concept is dead simple and consists of blocks (35 tonne a piece) of concrete and six lifting arms. When wind is available and power is cheap, the lifting arms stack the blocks into a tower. As the demand for electricity increases, the lifting arms lower the concrete blocks and the lifting motors work in reverse as a generator. The movements of the six arms are tuned so that the tower can absorb or deliver power continuously.

The claim that lured Softbank, previous investors such as Tata Power and Cemex and media is that Energy Vault provides much cheaper storage than lithium batteries and does not require the specific geologic features (mountains) that enable traditional energy storage in gravity (pumped hydro power). The Energy Vault consists of nothing more than cheap concrete, simple lifting arms and a bit of software. Furthermore, 90% round trip efficiency, a service life of 30 years and (once charged) zero energy loss have been the kind of promises that convinced investors to participate.

This claim was originally posted on Twitter by @FractalFlows. No further details are available as of yet.

Tag: "energy vault"

Energy Vault stores excess wind and solar power in gravity