Science Daily November 11, 2019
To close the gap between existing short- and long-term storage technologies an international team of researchers (Austria, Denmark, Italy) proposes Mountain Gravity Energy Storage (MGES) and hydropower which moves sand or gravel from a lower storage site to an upper elevation. The higher the height difference the greater the amount of stored energy as this technology is constrained to the topography of the location. MGES cost varies from 50 to 100 $/MWh of stored energy and 1–2 M$/MW of installed capacity. It could be a feasible option for micro-grids, for example, small islands and isolated areas, and power systems where electricity costs are high, demand for energy storage is smaller than 20 MW with monthly or seasonal storage requirements…read more. TECHNICAL ARTICLE