ABANDONED MINES CAN STORE ENERGY FROM RENEWABLES.

Abandoned underground mines could be repurposed to store vast amounts of energy using gravity batteries, according to an international team of researchers.
A study led by the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA) found that decommissioned mines offered a cost-effective and long-term solution for storing energy as the world transitions to renewable solutions. The scientists estimate that using gravity battery technology within mines has an estimated global energy storage potential of up to 70TWh – roughly the equivalent of global daily electricity consumption. A gravity battery works by taking excess energy produced from renewable sources like wind or solar and using it to lift a heavy weight. When the energy is needed during periods of low production, the weight is released and used to power a turbine as it falls. Mines already have the basic infrastructure and are connected to the power grid, which significantly reduces the cost and facilitates the implementation of Underground Gravity Energy Storage plants. The proposed system would convert the potential energy of sand as it is lowered into a mine shaft via regenerative breaking.
Similar systems using gravitational energy are already in use, with an Australian iron ore firm unveiling what it claimed to be the world’s first ‘Infinity Train’ last year. The technology allows the battery-electric train to transport materials without ever needing to recharge.

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