Designer behind world’s tallest building plans on turning skyscrapers into gravity powered batteries
The architecture and engineering firm behind the world's tallest building, the Burj Khalifa, has shared plans to build skyscrapers that can store energy using gravity.
If we are heading towards a greener future, renewable sources are the way to go. But energy sources from wind and solar don't always generateenergy when it's needed, which isn't helpful.
On other occasions, we get more wind or sun than necessary and we actually end up with too much electricity - a situation which results in consumers having to pay to consume electricity so we don't overload the grid.
Any power that isn't used just becomes wasted, so the solution is to store energy away for future use - which is where gravity batteries come in.
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And the concept is pretty simple.
When there's extra energy, it's used to lift weights (like water or sand), turning it into potential energy - meaning any unused energy is stored. When energy is needed, these weights are released, generating electricity as gravity pulls them back down to Earth.
This is the concept that architectural firm Skidmore, Owings & Merrill has used to create designs for new buildings, which will house electric motors to lift heavy blocks and store energy.
The company teamed up with startup Energy Vault in order to design skyscrapers that include gravity batteries as an alternative to lithium-ion and other types of chemical batteries.
Adam Semel, managing partner of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, commented on the new venture, saying: "Since our founding, Skidmore, Owings & Merrill has pushed the boundaries of architecture and engineering, redefining what buildings can do for cities and communities.
"This partnership with Energy Vault is a commitment not only to accelerate the world’s transition away from fossil fuels, but also to explore, together, how the architecture of renewable energy can enhance our shared natural landscapes and urban environments."
Adding gravity batteries to skyscrapers will provide multiple gigawatt hours (GWh) of energy storage, enough to power not only the buildings they're housed in, but also nearby structures, according to the design team.
The teams will also focus on minimizing wildlife disruption that other energy storage systems might cause.
The concept of gravity batteries is similar to widely used pumped hydroelectric plants.
It comes after Energy Vault recently completed its first major project near Shanghai; a stand-alone storage system that can supply up to 25 megawatts of power for four hours.
As efforts to reduce the carbon footprint of building materials like steel and concrete continue, incorporating clean energy with zero waste in such large structures is a huge step forward.