Battery idea: Hydroelectric pumped storage, but with bricks

A mock-up of what Energy Vault’s tower looks like. (credit: Energy Vault) A company called Energy Vault has proposed a new utility-scale battery that is both old and new at the same time. The “battery” is mechanical, rather than chemical, and stores energy much like pumped hydro does, but it does it with bricks. If […]

Battery idea: Hydroelectric pumped storage, but with bricks

A mock-up of what Energy Vault’s tower looks like. (credit: Energy Vault) A company called Energy Vault has proposed a new utility-scale battery that is both old and new at the same time. The “battery” is mechanical, rather than chemical, and stores energy much like pumped hydro does, but it does it with bricks. If […]

Germany plans to squeeze hydroelectric power out of a coal mine

As coal energy falls out of favor in much of the world, one defunct mine in the heart of Germany’s coal country is preparing for a new life as a sustainable power plant. As Bloomberg reports, the Prosper-Haniel mine in the state of North-Rhine Westphalia is scheduled to shut down in 2018 when government coal […]