Sun and wind produce electricity even when we don\u2019t need it. How can we prevent it from being lost? A gravity battery developed in Switzerland stores renewable energy in heavy blocks of material \u2013 an idea that is attracting interest around the world, especially in China.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It is an imposing building without doors or windows. Inside there are 3,500 \u201cbricks\u201d weighing 25 tonnes. A system of elevators and tracks moves them up and down, placing them next to each other, in what looks like a modern 3D Tetris. It is not a new housing concept, but a battery that uses the force of gravity to store and release energy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The first battery with this technology was connected to the power grid in the Chinese county of Rudong, near Shanghai, in late 2023. \u201cWe didn\u2019t imagine that our first plant would be built in China,\u201d Robert Piconi, CEO of Energy Vault, tells SWI swissinfo.ch. The energy storage systems company is based in the US, but it developed and tested its prototype<\/a> in Switzerland.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In China the environmental imperative to accelerate the country\u2019s decarbonisation \u2013 China is the world\u2019s biggest emitter \u2013 and current energy policiesExternal link<\/a> have, however, offered unexpected opportunities for Energy Vault and its innovation. New battery-buildings are already under construction. \u201cWe want to help solve the climate crisis,\u201d Piconi says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n