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by nuancebydefault 1020 days ago
Sadly, I recently learned, gravity storage takes up massive amounts of space (nature?) because you need insane amounts of mass for storing relatively tiny amounts of energy. It usually has 50 per cent loss.
2 comments

Indeed. I certainly hope that we don't get lots of those cranes lifting and lowering concrete blocks: we might, because they appear to be really cheap; but we shouldn't, because of how much CO2 is produced by making concrete.

Only way to be sure we don't get them is to invent something better.

I do like the aesthetics of hydroelectric dams: they also need concrete, though proportionally less.

I think some people are working on eco-friendly cements that would make for eco-friendly concrete; we certainly need that too, regardless of how we solve power production.

Don't know if this idea is really practical but I sure find it beautiful

https://www.wired.com/story/energy-vault-gravity-storage/