Gravity Energy Storage Tower GravVault Launches in Switzerland: Storing Grid Surplus with 5,000-Ton Granite Blocks
GravVault system uses electric motors to raise granite blocks to height for potential energy storage, generating electricity by lowering them when needed, achieving 85% round-trip efficiency.
Swiss energy storage company EnergyVault announced on February 26 that its second-generation gravity energy storage system GravVault has been officially connected to the grid in Switzerland's Ticino canton. The system includes a 120-meter-tall energy storage tower housing 5,000 granite blocks, each weighing 35 tons.
During charging, surplus electricity drives electric motors to lift granite blocks from ground level to the tower top. During discharging, the blocks descend under gravity, driving generators to produce electricity. The system's round-trip energy efficiency is 85%, slightly below lithium-ion batteries' 90%, but it has no degradation issue — the gravitational potential energy of granite blocks doesn't change over 100 years.
GravVault has a storage capacity of 100 MWh, enough to power approximately 20,000 homes for four hours. Construction costs are $150 per MWh, compared to $280 per MWh for lithium battery storage. EnergyVault has received eight orders from the Middle East and Africa.
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