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Construction supposed to begin this year - http://www.utilitydive.com/news/first-of-its-kind-rail-energy-storage-project-targets-role-in-caiso-ancilla/417817/ h

• ars 10y ago
  That is greenwashing taken to anther level. They are not just pretending to be green, they are actually doing harm and wasting money that could be used in better places. If you read the article you'll notice they refuse to compare to pumped hydro (because if they did people would laugh at them for how expensive they are). They are happy to compare to batteries though, because those are also not a usable way to store energy in bulk. Sigh. With projects like this is it any wonder people are so skeptical of "green technology"? There has to be some political reason this is getting built, because there sure isn't an economic or environmental one.
  • imaginenore 10y ago
    Pumped hydro only works in areas with the hydroelectric plants. That train seems like a decent solution for everywhere else.
    • dpark 10y ago
      Then rail energy storage only works in areas with railelectric plants. Pumped hydro works anywhere with a power source and a water source. Dragging a train uphill for 5 miles to store energy sounds moronic. I bet the losses in this system are absurd. It also creates a 5 mile virtual chasm that's potentially unsafe to across.