Texas is set to host the first gravitational storage facility in a Western country: it will be built by Energy Vault, a Swiss company that’s a pioneer in the case of this innovative technology. Through an agreement, EGP and Energy Vault will share information about the technology at all stages of the project and evaluate possible joint developments in areas of common interest.
Energy storage is a key type of technology for enabling the development and deployment of renewable sources while at the same time ensuring the stability of the entire electricity system. This is the reason for the agreement between EGP and Energy Vault, a Swiss company that has developed revolutionary gravitational energy storage technology. The agreement provides for the sharing of information and technical-economic data about the innovative plant being built by Energy Vault in Texas: it is one of the first of its kind in the world and the first in the West. The agreement also covers the joint evaluation of possible further developments of the technology in areas of common interest.
How a gravitational storage plant works
The operating principle of Energy Vault’s Gravitational Energy Storage System (GESS) is similar to that of pumped storage hydroelectric power plants. In the case of the latter, surplus energy is used for pumping water from downstream to upstream reservoirs during periods of excess electricity production; the water stored in the upstream reservoirs is then used to power water turbines and produce electricity at times of higher demand.
Similarly, the GESS works by using excess energy to lift and store large concrete blocks (moving masses) at a certain height; at times when there’s demand for energy from the Grid, the blocks are released and, as they descend in a controlled and coordinated manner under the action of weight force, they activate generators that produce electricity.
An innovative and circular system
One of the special features of this technology is that it can fit seamlessly into circular economy models: for example, the moving masses can be made from recycled or locally available materials, and they can be reinforced and made more durable by reusing fiberglass from decommissioned wind turbines.
The plant in Texas
The Texas plant, which Energy Vault will build and operate near the city of Snyder, will have a capacity of 18 MW/36 MWh and will operate on the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) market.
The validation of the technology, which has been tested on the US market, will provide our Group with the basis for future projects that could employ gravitational technology for long-term storage applications, such as transferring volumes of energy from day to night or vice versa in order to balance supply and demand at all times.
https://www.enelgreenpower.com/media/news/2024/05/gravity-storage-energy-vault
