Gravity storage: What to track

Will China's block towers publish real performance data?

Will China's block towers publish real performance data? What this tab covers The attributes worth tracking regularly, with the latest value, the direction of travel and why each matters.

The key test is whether the Chinese EVx plants publish real efficiency and availability data and whether any mine-shaft system reaches megawatt scale.

Category	Attribute	Latest	Trend	Why it matters
Techno-economic	LCOS trajectory	About USD 130/MWh at 1,000 MW, 10 h (DOE/PNNL 2022, 2021 inputs)⁹	→ stable	Few new cost data since 2021; real project costs would update this.
Technical	Mechanical wear and availability (in place of state of health)	Design lives of 25-35 years claimed by developers; no operating data published¹⁷	→ stable	Cables, cranes and winches are the wear items; availability data from Rudong would be the first evidence.
Supply chain	Critical mineral cost and geopolitical concentration	Weights from concrete, waste or steel; deployments concentrated in China³	→ stable	Mineral risk is negligible; project risk is concentrated in one country's pilot programme.
Market	Ancillary service market saturation	ARES design targeted regulation; EVx targets 4-hour shifting³⁵	↘ worsening	Both niches face strong competition from falling lithium battery prices.
ESG compliance	Safety and environmental compliance	Mechanical and structural codes apply; no fire risk⁷	→ stable	Low hazard profile is a selling point near communities.
Climate	Lifecycle carbon payback period	No verified figure found³	→ stable	Concrete in blocks and towers has embodied carbon; use of waste fill lowers it.
Deployment	Measured round-trip efficiency at scale	Above 75% (5 MW test tower, developer claim); above 80% projected for EVx (developer)¹²	→ stable	Independent measurements would confirm or undercut the business case.
Deployment	Commercial mine-shaft projects	250 kW demonstrator only; full-scale 4-8 MW projects planned⁷	→ stable	First commercial shaft would prove the mine reuse model.

Sources

Rudong, China Gravity Energy Storage System Energy Vault, 2025
Energy Vault Announces Commencement of Commissioning of World's First Grid-Scale Non-Pumped Hydro Gravity Energy Storage System Energy Vault via Business Wire, 2023
Energy Vault China gravity ESS project connected to grid; starts building three others Energy-Storage.news, 2024
Energy storage project breaks ground in Pahrump Pahrump Valley Times, 2020
Gravitricity celebrates success of 250kW energy storage demonstrator Solar Power Portal, 2021
2022 Grid Energy Storage Technology Cost and Performance Assessment US Department of Energy / Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, 2022