# Gravity storage

Lifting heavy weights and lowering them to make power.

Source page: https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/e_gravity/

Storage · Mechanical · No. 79

- Storage
- Duration: Hours
 Storage · Mechanical · Foundation · Energy

Lowering a 35-tonne concrete block 100 m yields only about 9.5 kWh, so gravity stores must be huge or deep.

Chart: Illustration: Gravity storage

##### Where it comes from

Chart: Map of where it comes from

Spare electricity winches heavy masses upward, and lowering them turns the motors into generators; energy is mass times gravity times height.

##### Three things to know

1. Doubling the depth of a mine shaft quadruples the energy a weight can store.
2. Blocks can be made from construction debris and coal ash, turning waste into a store of energy.
3. A 1,000 MW, 10-hour gravity plant would cost about USD 130/MWh, above pumped hydro's USD 110 (2021 estimates).

##### The journey

1. 1 **Spare power**Wind or solar output not needed
2. 2 **Lift**Motors raise blocks, weights or rail cars
3. 3 **Hold**Stored as height, no chemical fade
4. 4 **Lower**Motors turn into generators as masses fall
5. 5 **Grid**Four-hour shifting or fast regulation
 Covered in [Storing energy: from fuel stocks to batteriesEnergy](https://www.materialinsights.org/learn/energy/storing-energy/)

##### Go deeper pick a tab to open it in full

## Other sections

- [Overview](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/e_gravity/overview/index.md)
- [Correlation](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/e_gravity/correlation/index.md)
- [Science and technology](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/e_gravity/sg-sci/index.md)
- [Engineering and performance](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/e_gravity/sg-eng/index.md)
- [Economics](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/e_gravity/sg-econ/index.md)
- [Impact and additionality](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/e_gravity/sg-impact/index.md)
- [What to track](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/e_gravity/tracking/index.md)
- [Relationships](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/e_gravity/links/index.md)