Gravity Storage
Extra energy is never a bad thing. Imagine using all that supercharged energy left over from sunny and windy days. We can use that surplus of energy and transform it into kinetic energy, which is the energy of motion. This comes in the form of solid-state batteries, supercapacitors, and flow batteries. In turn, this converts back to electricity, which can then power our homes, charge our gadgets, and keep our lives moving forward. This is a breakthrough in technology that can make energy, stored for up to 14 hours, useful again.
It’s described as, “Using electrical pumps, as already used today in pumped storage power plants, water is pumped beneath a movable rock piston, thereby lifting the rock mass. During insufficient renewable power generation, the water under high pressure from the rock mass is routed to a turbine, as in conventional hydroelectric plants, and generates electricity using a generator.” Furthermore, it doesn’t require an elevation difference, uses minimal raw material, and has low operational costs (Heindl Energy).