Gravity batteries sound almost too simple to matter in a world of advanced chemistry and AI, yet they promise to turn old mines, skyscrapers and even coastal towers into vast reservoirs of clean power. By lifting heavy weights when electricity is plentiful and lowering them when demand spikes, they could smooth out the peaks and troughs that make renewable energy so hard to rely on at scale. If they work as their backers hope, they will not just complement solar and wind, they could reshape how entire countries think about infrastructure, land use and energy security.
The idea is gaining momentum fast, from pilot projects in Asia and Europe to bold concepts that would turn city skylines into vertical batteries. Engineers, architects and grid operators are converging on the same insight: gravity is free, predictable and everywhere, and building machines around it may be one of the most practical ways to stabilize a decarbonized grid.
How gravity batteries work, and why they matter
At its core, a gravity battery is a machine for turning surplus electricity into height, then turning that height back into electricity later. When power is cheap or abundant, motors lift a mass, such as blocks, sand or water, storing energy as gravitational potential. When demand rises, the mass is allowed to descend in a controlled way, driving generators that feed power back into the grid, a principle that engineers are now applying at grid scale. Unlike chemical batteries, the storage medium is simply mass and height, which can be scaled up with cranes, winches and towers rather than exotic materials.
That simplicity is exactly what makes gravity storage so attractive for balancing variable renewables. As grids add more wind and solar, operators struggle with second by second fluctuations in supply and demand, a problem highlighted in work on balancing the grid. Gravity systems can respond quickly, yet they avoid the fire risk and degradation that plague lithium ion packs, relying instead on mechanical parts that can be inspected, repaired and upgraded over decades.
The physics edge: efficiency, durability and materials
From a physics standpoint, gravity storage is brutally straightforward, which gives it several advantages over electrochemical cells. A detailed Abstract on Gravity energy storage notes that these systems can offer long lifetimes and high cycle counts because they depend on gravitational potential energy conversion rather than chemical reactions that fade over time. Some commercial concepts target an 80% round trip efficiency, a figure echoed in assessments that cite an 80% efficiency rate without the performance drop that chemical batteries suffer after 10 to 15 years.
Materially, gravity batteries sidestep some of the most contentious supply chains in clean tech. They do not need cobalt, nickel or lithium, instead they rely on concrete blocks, steel cables, water or sand, and on precision engineering, AI control systems and gravity, described as the most basic force in one assessment that emphasizes there is no chemistry, no fire risk and no rare minerals. That makes them particularly appealing for countries that want energy independence without swapping fossil fuel dependence for dependence on imported battery metals.
From coal mines to skyscrapers: real projects taking shape
The most dramatic proof of concept for gravity storage is unfolding deep underground. Across former coal regions, developers are turning disused shafts into vertical batteries by hoisting and dropping heavy containers, an approach described in detail in reporting on abandoned coal mines. One analysis of these schemes notes that Using gravity batteries in underground facilities aims to tackle the intermittency of renewables while giving new economic purpose to regions hit by mine closures, turning liabilities into assets.
The scale of the opportunity is striking. A study by the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis, or IIASA, used Analysis of decommissioned mines worldwide and concluded that their combined storage potential could match the entire world’s daily electricity consumption. Separate reporting has framed the same idea more viscerally, noting that Repurposed underground mines could store enough energy to power the entire Earth if gravity batteries are deployed at scale, a claim illustrated in coverage that asks whether such systems Could really transform the global grid.
Reimagining cities and infrastructure as storage
Gravity storage is not confined to rural or post industrial landscapes. In Shanghai, a giant gravity facility has been completed in the Rudong district of Shanghai, China, Built as an extraordinary energy storage plant that uses cranes to lift and lower massive blocks, according to reporting on the Rudong project. The system is designed to operate on this principle indefinitely and without loss of storage capacity, turning an industrial site into a long lived buffer for nearby wind and solar farms.
Architects are pushing the idea even further into the urban fabric. Skidmore, Owings and Merrill, known as Skidmore, Owings, Merrill, or SOM, the firm behind One World Trade Center, is working with partners to turn skyscrapers into vertical batteries that raise and lower heavy blocks inside elevator shafts, a concept detailed in coverage of Skidmore. In a related proposal, SOM and Energy Vault have outlined a superstructure tower that could range from 300 to 1,000 meters (985 to 3,300 feet) in height, with gravity blocks moving up and down the facade while leaving room for residential and commercial tenants, an idea described in detail in plans for the 300 to 1,000 meters tower.
Competing with, not just complementing, chemical batteries
For gravity systems to reshape the energy landscape, they must compete with the dominant storage technology of the moment, lithium ion. Advocates argue that gravity batteries make this conversion from intermittent renewables to firm power more reliable because they do not depend on weather sensitive chemistry, a point made in analysis that calls variability One of the the biggest obstacles to reaching 100% green energy. A technical comparison of Key Features of Gravity Batteries notes that Gravity batteries can store excess energy during low demand and release it later, making them well suited for long term energy storage where conventional batteries become uneconomical, a distinction highlighted in work that lists 1.2 K key features.
There are trade offs. A comprehensive review of Gravity energy storage points out that while these systems have long lifetimes and low environmental impact, they can require specific terrain or structures, similar to pumped hydro, which itself needs suitable geography, a limitation spelled out in the Gravity review. Yet newer designs emphasize Site Flexibility, arguing that Unlike traditional pumped hydro, modular gravity systems can be built in flat regions, on industrial land or integrated into buildings at various capacities, as explained in guidance on What Gravity Energy Storage can offer.
More from Morning Overview
*This article was researched with the help of AI, with human editors creating the final content.
