Actually I was off by a factor of 1000. That Camry needs to be raised to 7.3 km. Or you need 1000 of them. Or some combination of increased weight and height.
Actually, yes. Lifting the weight of a Toyota Camry 2 stories seems reasonable for a day’s worth of energy storage for a house.
I’m not sure how expensive the lift and generator will be, but the weight itself can be anything that’s sufficiently heavy.
You say chemical energy is way easier to store, but is it really easier and cheaper to store the energy needed for a home in a chemical battery?
exasperation@lemmy.dbzer0.com 5 weeks ago
LustyArgonianMana@lemmy.world 5 weeks ago
And not just that, but safety and cheapness akd accessibility of the materials. Water is pretty cheap and common. If it spills, probably no big deal (flooding notwithstanding) unlike battery acid.
CookieOfFortune@lemmy.world 5 weeks ago
Hmm… this might be easier to do with an electric car. Put it on an inclined track, and then drive uphill to store energy, and go downhill to release the energy.
LustyArgonianMana@lemmy.world 5 weeks ago
You would just use the car engine itself if you’re doing all that
CookieOfFortune@lemmy.world 5 weeks ago
Well you want some weight which is why I’m suggesting the whole car but sure if you want some custom solution you can build something better.
exasperation@lemmy.dbzer0.com 5 weeks ago
Yes. A 5kwh battery is about 50kg and smaller than a carry-on suitcase. String 6 of them together and you’ve got 30 kWh stored with no moving parts. Anker has that for about $15,000, maybe $30k installed.
How much does a 3-story elevator cost? What about one that can capture the stored potential energy on the way down, and not break down?