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Nevada Startup Stores Energy With Trains (fortune.com)
An anonymous reader writes: Nevada's Bureau of Land Management has granted a land lease to a $55 million project by Advanced Rail Energy Storage, which "proposes to use excess off-peak energy to push a heavily-loaded train up a grade," according to Fortune. "Then, when the grid needs that energy back, the cars will be rolled back down the slope...that return trip will generate energy and put it back on the grid."
The company claims its solution is about 50% cheaper than other storage technologies, according to Fortune, and boasts an 80% efficency in energy reclamation, "similar to or slightly above typical hydro-storage efficiency." Citing Tesla's factory, the magazine callsthe project "further evidence for Nevadaâ(TM)s emergence as a leading region for innovative transportation and energy projects."
The company claims its solution is about 50% cheaper than other storage technologies, according to Fortune, and boasts an 80% efficency in energy reclamation, "similar to or slightly above typical hydro-storage efficiency." Citing Tesla's factory, the magazine callsthe project "further evidence for Nevadaâ(TM)s emergence as a leading region for innovative transportation and energy projects."
One of the original natural resources of Phoenix was pollen free air - invaluable for people with allergies. Ironically, the successful development of Phoenix, largely based on this resource, has destroyed the resource just as surely as a coal mining town mines out a seam - get enough people in a city and they're sure to plant grass and flowers in their yards.
Its not completely idiotic, in fact I think they do something similar in Japan. Some buildings have concrete storage boxes burred underground where during winter snow is dumped. When summer rolls around the snow is used to cool the building for a few months out of the summer until the snow melts. It doesn't completely cover the cooling requirements but it does take a big bite out of it and it also gives them a place to shove some of their snow that's out of the way.
Sisyphean Railways
Requiem for the American Dream
why didn't I think of this????
Because it’s been done before. The Virginian railroad used to haul coal down the hills of Virginia; it was electrified, and the engines used regenerative braking. When they slowed down, the electric motors turned into generators and sent back power through the wire. When one fully-loaded train was going downhill, it provided enough power to get two unloaded trains up the hill; the net energy consumption was pretty negligible