A new technology in China looks like a giant tower, but it is used to store energy and provides 4 hours of electricity.

Written by Ruth Rodrigues

Published on 08/04/2026 at 08:13

Updated on 02/05/2026 at 18:16

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Without lithium or cobalt, gravity tower in China emerges as a sustainable alternative to traditional batteries. Technology uses gravity to store and return energy to the electrical grid.

China has a gravity tower from Energy Vault that stores electrical energy by lifting solid blocks, providing up to four hours of continuous electricity. The sustainable and efficient system reinforces the renewable energy matrix and represents a scalable alternative to traditional batteries.

Without lithium or cobalt, gravity tower in China emerges as a sustainable alternative to traditional batteries

In the city of Rudong, Jiangsu province, a gravity tower from Energy Vault has come into operation, promising to transform the way electricity is stored.

With 25 megawatts (MW) of power and a capacity of 100 megawatt-hours (MWh), the installation can provide continuous energy for about four hours.

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Innovative operation with solid blocks

The system operates ingeniously, but based on known physical principles. In times of excess generation or low demand, electric motors activate cranes that lift heavy blocks made from industrial waste.

This lifting stores energy in the form of gravitational potential energy. When electricity is needed, the blocks descend in a controlled manner, moving generators that return energy to the grid.

The entire process is monitored and automated by software that adjusts the descent speed and controls structural stability, ensuring safe and efficient operation.

Sustainability and extended lifespan

Unlike lithium-ion batteries, the tower does not rely on critical metals like lithium, cobalt, or nickel.

The blocks are made from low-cost materials, including construction waste and mining tailings, reducing environmental impacts.

According to Energy Vault, the tower has a lifespan of over 30 years, with much lower performance loss than traditional electrochemical systems.

Additionally, it has a round-trip efficiency of over 80%, showing that a large portion of the energy applied to lift the blocks is recovered when they descend.

Comparison with pumped-storage hydropower

The concept resembles pumped-storage hydropower, which stores energy by lifting water to release it.

The difference lies in flexibility: while hydropower depends on rivers and specific terrain, the gravity tower can be installed in industrial areas or near urban centers, without the need for large reservoirs.

This feature makes the system scalable and applicable in regions where chemical batteries are expensive or unfeasible.

The tower combines efficiency, sustainability, and adaptability, meeting the growing demand for reliable storage solutions.

Watch the video

Inspired by hydropower, tower stores energy with solid blocks and can be installed in urban areas

The installation in Rudong represents the transition of a technology that was previously restricted to pilot tests to a viable commercial application.

The expectation is that similar towers will be replicated in other regions of China and in other countries, offering a strategic alternative for energy storage.

The gravity tower from Energy Vault signals a promising path for the energy future: it combines technology, sustainability, and planning, ensuring a cleaner, more efficient, and reliable matrix.

Source: Casa Vogue

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A new technology in China looks like a giant tower, but it is used to store energy and provides 4 hours of electricity.

Without lithium or cobalt, gravity tower in China emerges as a sustainable alternative to traditional batteries. Technology uses gravity to store and return energy to the electrical grid.

Without lithium or cobalt, gravity tower in China emerges as a sustainable alternative to traditional batteries

Innovative operation with solid blocks

Sustainability and extended lifespan

Comparison with pumped-storage hydropower

Inspired by hydropower, tower stores energy with solid blocks and can be installed in urban areas

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A new technology in China looks like a giant tower, but it is used to store energy and provides 4 hours of electricity.

Without lithium or cobalt, gravity tower in China emerges as a sustainable alternative to traditional batteries. Technology uses gravity to store and return energy to the electrical grid.

Without lithium or cobalt, gravity tower in China emerges as a sustainable alternative to traditional batteries

Innovative operation with solid blocks

Sustainability and extended lifespan

Comparison with pumped-storage hydropower

Inspired by hydropower, tower stores energy with solid blocks and can be installed in urban areas

A giant printer called the “Ferrari” of concrete has landed in Latin America and can already build a 120-square-meter house in just 48 hours, making the traditional construction site look like something from the last century.

Brazil will harvest a record crop of up to 357 million tons of grains, but it does not have the capacity to store a large part of it. The storage deficit has reached the highest level in history and is equivalent to almost the entire production of Argentina.

Four times faster than the Concorde, capable of taking passengers from New York to London in less than an hour at Mach 5.5, and with an engine that switches from turbojet to ramjet mid-flight at Mach 3.5, the Hermeus Quarterhorse went from paper to its first flight in just 19 months.

Under nearly 2 kilometers of ice in Antarctica, scientists have discovered an ancient landscape sculpted by rivers up to 60 million years ago, the size of Wales, preserved as a time capsule that could help predict the advance of ice towards the ocean.

She started by collecting oyster shells from restaurants and today she has already accumulated more than 10 tons to restore reefs, recover coastal habitats, and demonstrate how a common waste can become a tool for ocean conservation.

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