Get the latest tech news

Europe’s deepest mine to become gravity battery for storing renewable energy

Estimates suggest abandoned mine shafts could store enough electricity to power the planet

The disused mine will be fitted with a gravity battery, which uses excess energy from renewable sources like solar and wind in order to lift a heavy weight. A study last year by the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA) estimated that gravity batteries in abandoned underground mines could store up to 70TWh of energy – enough to meet global electricity demands. “We are developing innovative, long-life, underground technologies which store energy safely and deliver it on demand at a lower lifetime cost than current alternatives.”

Get the Android app