Scientists suggest that tall buildings could be converted into batteries.
Due to the substantial decline in the price of renewable energy sources like wind and solar, energy storage technologies are more important to ensure electricity supply and demand are balanced. A new energy storage idea by International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis researchers could improve the electricity quality in urban areas. It could turn tall buildings into batteries.
Over the past few years, the world’s ability to produce electricity using solar energy, wind power and other renewable technologies has increased significantly. By 2026, this capacity is expected to be more than 60% higher than the 2020 level. This amount is equivalent to fossil and nuclear fuels’ global combined power capacity. According to the International Energy Agency, renewable energy sources will account for 95% of the world’s growth in power capacity through 2026. Solar photovoltaics accounts for more than half. Innovative solutions are necessary to move towards a low-carbon or zero-carbon society.
The IIASA researchers recently published a study in the journal Energy. It proposed a new gravitational-based energy storage method that uses elevators and vacant apartments within tall buildings. The strange concept is called Lift Energy Storage Technology (LEST). It stores Energy by lifting high-density materials or wet sand containers. These can then be remotely transported in and out of lifts using trailers. LEST is a fascinating possibility because high-rise buildings already have elevators. Therefore, there is no need to invest in additional space or increase occupancy. Instead, it uses the existing infrastructure in a novel way to create value for the electrical grid and the building owner.
“I’ve always been fascinated by topics that involve potential Energy. In other words, how to generate Energy with altitude changes such as hydropower or pumped storage, buoyancy and gravity energy storage. Gravity energy storage is a topic that has received much attention from both the scientific community and start-ups. Julian Hunt, the lead author of the LEST concept, says that he was inspired to create it after spending a lot of time in lifts since he moved into an apartment on the 14th floor.
The main obstacle to making a gravity storage solution financially viable is the high cost of power capacity. The greatest benefit of LEST is that it is already installed in lifts equipped with regenerative brake systems. Over 18 million lifts are used worldwide, and many spend considerable time sitting still. It is believed that lifts can be used to store and generate electricity when they aren’t being used for transporting people.
There are still details to be perfected before the system can go live. It is important to have enough space in your building to store the weights that the system uses when it is fully charged and when it is being discharged. This could also be possible with empty apartments and corridors. Another consideration is the ceiling-bearing capacity of buildings that have the system installed. This is the maximum ceiling weight in kilograms that the ceiling can support without falling. However, storing electricity where it is most needed, such as in cities, will greatly benefit the energy grid. LEST can offer affordable, decentralized ancillary services that could improve power quality in urban settings.
LEST, an environmentally friendly and flexible storage technology like LEST, will become increasingly valuable in a world where renewables are a major source of electricity. Policymakers and regulators of the power system must adopt strategies to encourage end users to share their distributed storage resources (such as LEST) with the central grid. Study coauthor Behnam Zkeri, a researcher at the IIASA Integrated Assessment and Climate Change Research Group, concluded that coordinating these distributed resources reduces the need to invest in large-scale central stock systems.