Green Energy – The Use of the Earth’s Gravity to Generate Electricity

Green Energy – The Use of the Earth’s Gravity to Generate Electricity Runaway climate change due to the accumulation of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere from burning of fossil fuels and the resulting warming of the planet could destroy civilization and potentially ultimately cause the extinction of life on earth. The famous biologist, David Attenborough, said at a UN sponsored meeting on catastrophic climate change: “Right now, we are facing a man-made disaster of global scale. Our greatest threat in thousands of years. Climate change. If we don’t take action, the collapse of our civilizations and the extinction of much of the natural world is on the horizon. The world’s people have spoken. Their message is clear. Time is running out.” And Greta Thunberg, the famous teenage climate activist, said at the same meeting: ““We are at a time in history where everyone with any insight of the climate crisis that threatens our civilization - and the entire biosphere - must speak out in clear language, no matter how uncomfortable and unprofitable that may be. “We must change almost everything in our current societies. The bigger your carbon footprint, the bigger your moral duty. The bigger your platform, the bigger your responsibility.” We know what has to be done to even limit the increase in greenhouse gases, but it is frighteningly clear that the world’s companies and countries cannot accomplish even this minimal effort in enough time to avoid the coming mega-catastrophes. I have read the scientific literature for many years now and am beyond despair. I myself do not expect to experience the disaster and I fortunately do not have children who will suffer. The green writing is on the wall and climatologists know that the only possible solution would be to completely stop utilization of fossil fuels world-wide and replace these with solar and wind energies. But the Sun stops shining at night and the wind does not blow forever. Recently the possibility of producing energy from fusion of hydrogen to helium as occurs in the Sun may actually take less than the oft repeated 30 years. And, for the first time physicists have succeeded in creating fusion reactions in the lab that are larger than the energy required to create these reactions so that fusion may be available at least in 30 years. But a continuous source of energy by fusion will most likely never be possible but rather a series of controlled hydrogen bomb explosions. But then in the last few months I read several recent papers on methods which do not require advanced engineering or new discoveries and I see a way to save civilization and the earth!!! Fantastic!!! These all use the same basic simple idea, to use the energy of gravity, which Einstein showed in 1915 in his General Relativity Theory, is actually produced by the bending of four dimensional space-time by mass, to create electricity. Let me now describe the several available methods that actually are feasible and are ongoing. Gravity could solve renewable energy’s biggest problem Energy Vault's gravity-based storage system rises over the Swiss town of Arbedo-Castione. London CNN Business — By  Dell Lewis, CNN Business Updated 6:02 AM EDT, Mon March 14, 2022 In the Swiss municipality of Arbedo-Castione, a 70-meter crane stands tall. Six arms protrude from the top, hoisting giant blocks into the sky. But these aren’t building blocks, and the crane isn’t being used for construction. The steel tower is a giant mechanical energy storage system, designed by American-Swiss startup Energy Vault, that relies on gravity and 35-ton bricks to store and release energy. When power demand is low, the crane uses surplus electricity from the Swiss grid to raise the bricks and stack them at the top. When power demand rises, the bricks are lowered, releasing kinetic energy back to the grid. It might sound like a school science project, but this form of energy storage could be vital as the world transitions to clean energy. 35-ton blocks, made of recycled or locally sourced materials, are raised to the top of the crane where they store energy. Energy Vault “There’s a big push to get renewables deployed,” Robert Piconi, founder of Energy Vault, tells CNN Business, adding that companies are under increasing pressure from governments, investors and employees to decarbonize. But relying on renewable s for consistent power is impossible without energy storage, he says. Unlike a fossil fuel power station, which can operate night and day, wind and solar power are intermittent, meaning that if a cloud blocks the sun or there’s a lull in the wind, electricity generation drops. To compete with fossil fuels, you need to “make renewable s predictable,” says Piconi, which means storing excess energy and being able to dispatch it when required. Instead, Energy Vault decided to base its technology on a method developed over 100 years ago, which is widely used to store renewable energy: pumped storage hydropower. During off-peak periods, a turbine pumps water from a reservoir on low ground to one on higher ground, and during periods of peak demand, the water is allowed to flow down through the turbine, generating electrical energy. Piconi says Energy Vault relies on gravity in the same way, but “instead of using water, we’re using these composite blocks.” By doing it this way, he says the company is not dependent on topography and doesn’t have to dig out reservoirs or create dams, which can have negative effects on the environment. storage technology is low-cost, long life and environmentally compelling. Green Gravity Energy Green Gravity’s energy storage system moves heavy weights vertically in legacy mine shafts to capture and release the gravitational potential energy of the weights. By simply using proven mechanical parts and disused mine shafts, Green Gravity’s energy storage technology is low-cost, long life and environmentally compelling. Storing energy in this way uses no processed chemicals and has no performance degradation. Moving weights vertically allows for high Round Trip Efficiency and using legacy mine shafts allows reuse of existing structures, contributing to the circular economy and lowering costs. Green Gravity’s energy storage technology improves the economics of wind and solar power, leading to a faster and lower cost transition away from fossil fuels. Truly the next generation of ultra-green energy. Green Gravity’s energy storage solution harnesses the fundamental principles of gravity and kinetic energy to store and dispatch energy by lifting and lowering heavy-weighted objects. Green Gravity’s innovative technology was inspired by pumped hydro like Snowy 2.0. Like pumped hydro, we use the gravitational potential energy of a mass moving between two heights. However, rather than water between two dams, Green Gravity requires much less space by using very dense materials. To overcome friction, a vertical height available from a mine shaft is used rather than an incline on the side of a hill. Gravitational storage refers to a process of converting electrical energy into gravitational potential energy through moving an object to a height. The energy is then released back to electrical energy at a later time by moving the object to a lower height, in the process turning an electric motor using the kinetic force of the descending object. Where can Green Gravity energy storage be deployed? Green Gravity’s system can be deployed in many types of mine shafts. With nearly 100,000 shafts in Australia, this offers many potential deployment locations. Locations with the best economic case include those with shafts built after 1950, with electrical infrastructure sill accessible, and with greater depth. Shafts over 300 metres deep offer very attractive energy economics. What advantages does Green Gravity have over chemical batteries? Green Gravity’ energy storage system is fundamentally more sustainable than chemical batteries. Some of the most important differentiating points include: • Our parts can be locally sourced. Lithium batteries are developed using water intensive processing, combined with rare minerals and are assembled in a long global supply chain. • We use basic steel cables, motors and recycled and inert materials. Chemical batteries are future landfill liabilities and are hazardous materials.  • Gravitational energy systems do not leak energy over time, don’t degrade and have very long asset lives. The energy system needs long-term stable clean capacity. Green Gravity can deliver equipment life 3 to 4 times longer than a chemical battery.  • Green Gravity re-uses existing infrastructure. We take minesites, which are sitting idle today, and convert them into energy storage systems capable of accelerating the uptake of renewable • energy. - Green Gravity uses existing proven technology from the steel, mining and energy sectors to build the energy storage centre. We use cables, weighted blocks, mine winders, electric motors and off-the-shelf handling equipment to make our technology work.  How much weight does a Green Gravity energy storage centre move? The weights moved depend on the depth and market configuration for an individual storage centre. For a large shaft, we move weights up to 40 metric tonnes, which give us the capability to store up to 10 kWh of energy per 100 metres of depth. For context, an average car weighs 1.3 tonnes, meaning we drop objects weighing the equivalent of 30 cars. How big are the mine shafts? Mine shafts are generally very deep. Shallow shafts are 100-150 metres, while medium shafts are often 300 metres in depth. Modern shafts are concrete lined and can be more than 5 metres in diameter. Deep shafts can be over 1,000 metres in depth. For some context, the Empire State Building is 380 metres, the Eiffel Tower 300 metres, Sydney Tower 305 metres, Petronas Towers 450 metres, and way out there, the Burj Khalifa 828 metres. Of course, nature wins with the Grand Canyon at 1,800 metres deep. Gravity Power The Gravity Power Plant is effectively a Water Battery. We dig a deep shaft, using standard technology from the mining industry. We build a piston of reinforced rock in the shaft. We add water and cap it, creating a closed loop system, with no additional water required. Storing Energy A conventional pump/turbine forces water down the penstock into the shaft, lifting the piston. With highly efficient hydropower equipment and low piston speed, system efficiency is high. Thousands of megawatt-hours can be stored in each plant. Generating Power As the piston drops, it forces water up the penstock and through the turbine, spinning the generator to produce electricity. Gravity Power is by far the most cost-effective solution for long duration energy storage. Gravity Power returns energy to the grid at about 6½¢ per KWh, less than half the cost of lithium ion, including the cost of energy lost in the round trip. The big difference is in CapEx. Gravity Power is the only storage solution that achieves dramatic economies of scale. PNNL conducted a study to calculate the LCoE (levelized cost of energy) for 14 storage technologies, grouped into Pumped Storage Hydroelectric, Hydrogen, Flow, and Lithium Ion. The Gravity Power technology is by far the most cost-effective. BuildiMinimal Environmental Impact • No threats to wildlife, air, water, indigenous cultures • No emissions • No visual or noise impacts • Small footprint • No ongoing water use Proven Technology → Innovative Configuration • Off-the-shelf components, widely used in hydroelectric plants globally • Excavation using conventional mining technology • Design protected by 6 patents in 24 countries © Crossrail Ltd 2021 Flexible Installation • Can be built almost anywhere underground conditions are suitable • Co-located with renewable energy generation plants • Located in urban areas, where load is greatest and transmission may be limited Long Lifetime • Properly maintained, a Gravity Power plant will last for decades • No degradation in performance Grid Stability • Gravity Power plants provide exceptional grid resources, including frequency control, fast ramping, and resource shifting into the high-value times of day. • Wikepedia Encyclopedia Gravitational Potential https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gravitational_potential _____________________________________________________________________ Scientists Have a Genius Plan: Turn Abandoned Mines Into Gravity Batteries This might be the coolest energy storage solution yet. BY DARREN ORF PUBLISHED: JAN 23, 2023 Energy Vault • Gravity batteries use gravity and regenerative braking to send renewable energy to the grid. • Scientists created a battery that uses millions of abandoned mines worldwide (with an estimated 550,000 of them being in the U.S. alone) to store energy. • Some companies are trying to build gravity batteries that can be dropped anywhere, regardless of if there are mines in the area. Supplying the world with renewable energy is a two-fold problem. The first is making technologies like wind and solar as robust and affordable as coal and natural gas. With recent estimates suggesting solar will outpace coal in 2025, that first problem is quickly being solved. The second one, figuring out how to store that energy, is a bit trickier. Unlike fossil fuels, solar and wind can’t provide an uninterrupted stream of energy. After all, the sun sets and winds die, but scientists and engineers have developed myriad ways to store that renewable energy for when the grid needs it. One idea is to supplement lithium-ion batteries with iron-air batteries that could charge our homes via rust (yes, rust), or transform existing coal-fired power plants into nuclear ones. But another much talked about technology is what’s known as “gravity batteries,” which use regenerative braking and, well, gravity to send energy to the grid. The big problem is exactly that—they’re big—making them unfeasible (and unattractive) for certain areas. However, earlier this month, scientists revealed a gravity battery that takes advantage of vestiges of dirty energy’s past by using millions of abandoned mines worldwide (with an estimated 550,000 of them being in the U.S. al) to store energy. The research into these new batteries, led by the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA), examined a technology known as Underground Gravity Energy Storage (UGES). At its most basic, this battery lowers large containers of sand into a mineshaft when energy is expensive (aka peak hours). Using regenerative braking, these mines would transform the sand’s potential energy into actual energy, and the bigger the mine, the bigger the battery