A unique place to store energy: an abandoned mine shaft

A Scottish company is experimenting with an unlikely place to store energy: an abandoned mine shaft.

A massive weight is suspended in the mine shaft to
capture power and then can be released in seconds.
 Photos: Courtesy of Charlie Blair (left) / Gravitricity.

The technology uses a basic principle of physics: lifting a heavy object requires energy. And, when the object is let go, that energy is released.

Blair: “We lift a heavy weight up a vertical shaft and that takes electricity from the grid to lift that weight. And then the weight can sit there at the top of the shaft for as long as we want it to, and we can let it back down again to discharge electricity back to the grid.”

Read the story by Diana Madson from Yale Climate Connections - “A unique place to store energy: an abandoned mine shaft.”