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The keyword here is energy density. Batteries are really good when measured in electrical energy stored per volume. Your proposed mechanical potential energy s
by gmueckl 8y ago
The keyword here is energy density. Batteries are really good when measured in electrical energy stored per volume. Your proposed mechanical potential energy store (lifting mass) cannot compete. The amount of stored energy is aurprisingly low in comparison. I did the math over a decade ago because I had the same idea and the numbers were underwhelming.
- lutorm 8y agoYeah, but energy density isn't really significant. You may get less energy out of a m^3 of water pumped to a reservoir than you get out of a m^3 of battery, but even the smallest reservoir has a usable volume that probably surpasses the volume of all batteries ever built. You can just keep pumping.
- gmueckl 8y agoNo, you can't just keep pumping. To build a reservoir at the scale that you seem to imagine, you depend on locations that provide a suitable topography. Very few such places exist.