3 ms·
"to get the amount of energy stored in a single AA battery, we would have to lift 100 kg (220 lb) 10 m (33 ft) to match it. To match the energy contained in a g
by mineshaftgap 11y ago
"to get the amount of energy stored in a single AA battery, we would have to lift 100 kg (220 lb) 10 m (33 ft) to match it. To match the energy contained in a gallon of gasoline, we would have to lift 13 tons of water (3500 gallons) one kilometer high (3,280 feet). It is clear that the energy density of gravitational storage is severely disadvantaged."
http://physics.ucsd.edu/do-the-math/2011/11/pump-up-the-storage/ http://physics.ucsd.edu/do-the-math/2011/11/pump-up-the-stor...
- nkurz 11y agoIt's almost incredible that a AA battery can do that much work, but I checked the math: Alkaline AA Battery =~ 3 Wh =~ 10000 Nm Gravitational Potential Energy =~ kg * m * 10 N/kg 100 kg * 10 m * 10 N/kg == 10000 Nm == AA Battery It also puts into perspective how much solar energy is available. A single 200 W panel (~5 sq ft or ~.5 m^2) can charge hundreds of AA batteries per day, and thus would require lifting more than 10000 kg by 10 m to store a single day's output from just that one panel!