Skyscrapers Could be the Answer for Energy Vault

Image: Energy Vault

California-based Energy Vault Holdings has just completed the world’s first Gravity Energy Storage System (GESS) facility near Shanghai, China. The facility is sited next to a wind farm and has a 25 MW / 100 MWh capacity, meaning it’s capable of supplying 25 MW of electricity to the grid for 4 hours at a time.

It plans to build a further 6 GESS in China in the coming years. And this news means Energy Vault’s new storage system is getting more attention. Could they be about to help America’s skyscrapers become greener?

The architecture firm that designed the world's tallest building, the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, UAE, is considering ways to build skyscrapers that can store energy using gravity.

Chicago based Skidmore, Owings & Merrill has developed a series of prototype designs that use electric motors to elevate massive blocks, creating potential energy that can be converted into electricity when the blocks are lowered. The designs are based on technology developed by partner Energy Vault Holdings.

The estimates are that GESS in skyscrapers could supply more than enough power to cover all operations for buildings 200 meters or taller, with some of the company’s designs expected to see that payback in two to four years. Energy Vault stock has tumbled more than 85% since it went public in 2022. It will be interesting to see whether its Chinese projects and plans in the US will be the answer their shareholders are looking for.