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A Californian company proposes using weighted electrically-driven rail vehicles on inclines to store energy. At times when the capacity of electricity supply exceeds demand the vehicles would be driven up inclined tracks, and when demand exceeds generation they are allowed to run down, generating electricity as they fall.
This link includes a video that shows a prototype vehicle (which appears to be built on a conventional locomotive chassis), an interview with a promoter, and an animation of a "farm" of these devices. There is a shortage of hard data, such as how much energy could be stored, for how long, and how steep the tracks are, etc., but a quick calculation shows that some thousands of these vehicles would be required for them to be useful. The control panel for this prototype has a power dial that appears to go up to only 20 kW. The promoter in the interview focuses instead on how the construction material can be recycled at end of life.
(Score: 2) by bob_super on Tuesday July 03 2018, @04:54PM (1 child)
The only place where it may not be a stupid idea could be next to the Ivanpah plant [wikipedia.org].
Because it's a mountainous desert. With a lot of space. And no water for the much better pumped storage solution.
But even then, it's still the desert: nowhere near the consumer. Who doesn't want this silly multi-mile solution next to his place.
And the power numbers are silly.
You know what I would spend a few tens millions doing, if I had to invest them in energy storage?
Take a crumbling factory near a downtown. Pour a nice deep foundation, and put a strong tall steel structure above it, with some elegant exterior. Then attach motor/generators to as much weight(s) as the structure can handle, and raise and lower them based on instant electricity demand.
It would take no more materials than the train tracks, work anywhere where enough of a downtown makes the tall building inconspicuous (and means that the ground isn't terrible), be near the consumer... Hell, I'll call it the Church of the Smarter Storage, so I don't have to pay property taxes !
(Score: 2, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday July 03 2018, @05:05PM
And when the weights reach the top (or bottom), have a large bird come out of a window and chirp several times!