--- title: "Giant Hanging Bricks Could Store Energy Better Than Batteries" description: "## Brick by Brick" date: "2018-11-08" modified: "2018-11-08" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/giant-hanging-bricks-store-renewable-energy-battery-energy-vault" categories: - "Energy" - "Science & Energy" tags: - "battery storage" - "energy storage" - "tesla powerpack" - "the digest" --- # Giant Hanging Bricks Could Store Energy Better Than Batteries ![Swiss company Energy Vault came up with an elegant solution to storing energy: hoisting giant bricks over 300 feet in the air.]() *\Image: Energy Vault\* ## Brick by Brick Across the world, the demand for electricity shifts dramatically between day to night. During peak hours — typically in the morning and evening — people use way more energy. To meet those high demands, utility companies have to find ways to store energy temporarily. Now, Switzerland- and California-based company Energy Vault [may have a solution]() to that problem that wouldn't incur massive costs for complex battery farms like [Tesla's Powerpack]() facilities. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mmrwdTGZxGk ## Energy by Gravity Their solution is essentially a 35-story tower that lifts a series of 35 metric ton bricks when energy requirements are low, then drops them back to the ground — capturing the kinetic energy with a generator in the process — when energy requirements are high. It's a clever and simple solution. It works in a similar way to a hydro plant that pumps water up a hill during off-peak hoursand releases it back down during peak hours. The big advantage: no dam, hill, or river required. ## Power Tower And that's not the only advantage. No dams also means no harmful environmental factors. The bricks are even made out of [landfill materials](), reducing costs and environmental impact even further, according to *Fast Company*. Energy Vault's first customer is Tata Power, an Indian electric utility. So far, only a small 72-foot (22 meter) prototype (shown in video above) exists near the company's headquarters. The proposed designs are more than five times as tall. As global populations keep growing, their energy consumption does too. And more often than not, the environment suffers in the process of meeting those demands. But solutions like Energy Vault's goes to show that it doesn't have to be that way. **READ MORE:** [Can these 35-ton bricks solve renewable energy’s biggest problem?]() \[*Fast Company*\] **More on storing energy:** [Can Molten Salt Make 24-Hour Solar Energy Possible?]() ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()