Tall buildings not only require intelligent architecture but also high maintenance. This makes them one of the most polluting parts of the economy. To reduce this, two leading companies are trying the approach where gravity can turn skyscrapers into green energy storage.
Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM), the leading architecture firm along with Energy Vault are working on a futuristic idea. Energy Vault is a pioneer in using gravity to store green energy.
Energy Vault developed a method through which they store green power by lifting huge bricks into the air. These bricks are lowered to release energy and generate electricity. This technology is quite popular in China and commissioned the world’s first such system last year.
Quick Fact: Buildings are responsible for around 39-40% global energy-related carbon emissions: to construct them, power them, and temperature control devices.
Aim and Approaches of the Partnership
Together these companies aim to decarbonize a few of the world’s tallest buildings with heights above 300 m and up to a kilometer tall.
They are planning to do by incorporating gravity storage concept through a hollowed structure. This approach will allow buildings to store multi-GWh gravity-based energy storage. With this, these skyscrapers could not only power themselves but also the buildings adjacent to them, says Energy Vault.
They will be adding another concept where they will use a modular water-based system to integrate large-scale hydro energy storage into skyscrapers. It uses modular pumped hydro system where excess green energy pumps water up hills through tubes. This water is stored at the hilltop and when required it will be released from there. They call it Water Tree and it will be one of the first in the world.
Find out more about 6 advantages and disadvantages of green building.
Limited Scope Due to Few Buildings
According to the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat, there are only 173 such buildings that are 300 m tall. Also, many of the new under-construction skyscrapers will not be ready until 2030. Thus, the market approach for this storage solution is limited.
Although Energy Vault and SOM’s approach that gravity can turn skyscrapers into green energy storage seems applicable but as per a recent report, it is the more expensive option than lithium-ion batteries.
Source: The next world’s tallest building could be a 3,000-feet-high battery
