I was aware of them quite a long time ago (the original form was concrete blocks lifted to form a tower by cranes) but was skeptical since it seemed obviously inferior to using water capital cost wise and any efficiency gains were likely not worth it. Reading their current site:
The G-VAULT™ platform utilizes a mechanical process of lifting and lowering composite blocks or water to store and dispatch electrical energy.
(my italics). Looks to me like a slow adaptation to the reality that water is better.
You mentioned a density of steel of 7.85 g/cm^3 but used a value of 2.7 g/cm^3 in the calculations.
BTW this reminds me of:
https://www.energyvault.com/products/g-vault-gravity-energy-storage
I was aware of them quite a long time ago (the original form was concrete blocks lifted to form a tower by cranes) but was skeptical since it seemed obviously inferior to using water capital cost wise and any efficiency gains were likely not worth it. Reading their current site:
(my italics). Looks to me like a slow adaptation to the reality that water is better.
Yes! You’re right! I’ve corrected this, though I still need to update the drawing of the house. Thank you!