Finding green energy when the winds are calm and the skies are cloudy has been a challenge. Storing it in giant concrete blocks could be the answer.

The concrete blocks are slowly hoisted upwards by motors powered with electricity from the Swiss power grid. As each block descends, the motors that lift the blocks start spinning in reverse, generating electricity that courses through the thick cables running down the side of the crane and onto the power grid. In the 30 seconds during which the blocks are descending, each one generates about one megawatt of electricity: enough to power roughly 1,000 homes.

      • Helix 🧬@feddit.de
        5·
        3 years ago

        Adam Something <3

        was hoping someone would link this here.

        So many recent “inventions” are just bad versions of already existing inventions. E.g. the gravity energy storage is already perfected in the pumped storage hydro power station, the Hyperloop is way worse than regular trains and so on and so forth…

        But that’s irrelevant. You just have to vaguely overpromise stuff to investors and then get a clean exit to cash out.

        • AgreeableLandscape@lemmy.ml
          3·
          3 years ago

          Reminder of the amount of money and resources spent trying (without succeeding) by multiple independent companies to put solar panels on various roads in the US and Europe. Before anyone had even considered putting solar panels on the roofs of buildings in the area.

          • Helix 🧬@feddit.de
            1·
            3 years ago

            Solar Roadways! One of the most blatant ‘open scams’ I’ve seen. Thunderf00t made several videos about their progress and even drove to their demo installation to have a laugh.

            • AgreeableLandscape@lemmy.ml
              2·
              3 years ago

              The concept on its face is just so stupid when rooftop solar is already an extremely mature field, and most roofs in cities don’t have solar panels. Why are you starting your solarification with a project monumental engineering breakthroughs when you haven’t exhausted the easy options that have been working for decades? Put solar panels on all the roofs first, then look into novel places for them.

              It’s also kind of sad because you can tell that the Solar Roadways guys do actually believe in their concept (otherwise they’d have eloped with everyone’s money years ago). It’s just incredibly misguided, ignorant of the physics and tech involved, topped with good old overconfidence.

              • Helix 🧬@feddit.de
                2·
                3 years ago

                It’s also kind of sad because you can tell that the Solar Roadways guys do actually believe in their concept (otherwise they’d have eloped with everyone’s money years ago)

                Why run away when you can just make more money continually while being an amateur?