Energy Vault has entered into an exclusive partnership with architecture firm Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM) to work on projects using its gravity energy storage technology.
SOM will be the exclusive architect and structural engineer for the next generation of fixed frames and deployable structures for all of Energy Vault’s new gravity energy storage systems (GESS) solutions.
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Partners Adam Semel and Scott Duncan and structural engineer Bill Baker will lead the partnership for SOM, which is known for its work on various skyscraper projects including the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, UAE, the tallest building in the world.
The first deployments of its gravity tech, in China, are with its EVx solution, but it now has four others: EVu, EVc, EVy and EV0. EVy applies the GESS technology to pre-existing slopes and topographies reducing the need for manmade structures, while EV0 integrates it into pumped hydro energy storage (PHES) designs.
EVu and EVc, meanwhile, involve integrating GESS into tall buildings. EVu is designed to integrate GESS into tall buildings through a hollowed structure with heights of 300-1,000m. This could power the building itself as well as others nearby, Energy Vault claimed, and could enable a carbon payback within accelerated timeframes of three to four years.
EVc similarly involves integrating a combination of PHES and GESS technology into tall buildings via a modular water-based system.
Energy Vault CEO Rob Piconi alluded to the new suite of GESS configurations in an interview last year (Premium access).
Energy-Storage.news’ publisher Solar Media will host the 2nd Energy Storage Summit Asia, 9-10 July 2024 in Singapore. The event will help give clarity on this nascent, yet quickly growing market, bringing together a community of credible independent generators, policymakers, banks, funds, off-takers and technology providers. For more information, go to the website.
