This makes some sense in poor tropical nations, where rigging a mechanical system like this is quite feasible locally (instead of having to import advanced lith

This makes some sense in poor tropical nations, where rigging a mechanical system like this is quite feasible locally (instead of having to import advanced lithium batteries, along with usually exorbitant import duties etc), and some of the "inefficiency" can be used to heat, and particularly, cool spaces. It also makes sense for oceanic wind turbines, which can use periods of high wind vs low demand to pump air into large under-sea air storage bags, using the sea as free cooling/heating towards isothermal operation.