Can an old abandoned mine power our electric cars? May be. At first glance this may seem like a launch phrase for some science fiction movie but, in the not too distant future, it could become a reality. Of course, the way to go before this happens is still very long, but it is not at all impossible to reach the end: it is no coincidence that in Finland they are trying to transform an old zinc and copper mine into a kind of Great battery in which to accumulate energy that can then be used in various ways. And one use could be to recharge the battery of our cars.
The Pyhäsalmi Mine
About 450 kilometers north of Helsinki is the city of Pyhäsalmia small town of about 5,000 inhabitants where the v is located.old zinc and copper minealready out of use for several years, that a Scottish company, the gravitricity, is trying to reborn as a giant battery.
There mine is 1,400 meters deep and using a system of weights that are raised and lowered, the company believes it can produce electricity that can be stored within the mine. But how would all this happen? Exploitation of gravitational potential energy.
What is gravitational potential energy?
First let’s see what we mean when we talk about gravitational potential energy: is the energy accumulated by one body that moves downward from the other. The greater the mass and height, the more energy is created.
How can gravitational potential energy be harnessed to turn the mine into a battery?
Having understood the concept of gravitational potential energy, we can now focus on how Gravitricity aims to transform the abandoned Pyhäsalmi mine into a kind of large battery where it can produce electricity from renewable sources and store it.
The idea is use weights in the shape of the holes that they can store or release electrical energy. When there is excess electricity, this excess can be used to lift weights to the surface, accumulating gravitational potential energy that can be transformed into electrical energy.
However, when power is needed, the weight can be released using winches which become generators capable of producing electricity.
How much energy can be produced at the Pyhäsalmi mine?
According to Gravitricity studies, this gravitational energy system would be capable of store up to 2 megawatts of energy. And this energy could easily be integrated with that of the local energy grid.
A replicable project
Evidently what happens in the Finnish Pyhäjärvi mine could also be recreated in other abandoned mines around the world. The same CEO of Gravitricity, Martin Wright, In fact, he explained that Pyhäjärvi, according to the Scottish company’s plans, will be only the first in a series of projects of this type.
“This could be the first use of Gravistore in Europe,” stated Martin Wright (Gravistore is the weight system used in the mine, ed.). The chief executive of the Scottish company added: “This project will demonstrate on a real scale how our technology can offer a reliable and long-lasting energy storage, capable of capturing and storing energy during periods of low demand and quickly releasing it when necessary. “It will also provide a pathway for other commercial projects and allow our solution to be integrated into mine decommissioning activities, offering future potential for mines approaching the end of their original useful life.”
Furthermore, this project, as Martin Wright always explained, could also create new jobs. “Jobs with low CO2 emissions” were defined by the CEO of Gravitricity. Jobs in areas that, with the closure of the old mines, have experienced a depopulation process. In this way, old mining areas could receive a new vital element thanks to renewable energy.
How much energy could be stored worldwide?
We said in the previous paragraphs that the Pyhäsalmi mine, thanks to this system, could store up to 2 megawatts of energy. But if this system were replicated in all the other abandoned mines in the world, how much energy would be accumulated?
The scientists ofInternational Institute for Applied Systems Analysis which highlighted how, in total, up to 70 TWh of energy. In other words, approximately the current daily electricity consumption worldwide could be conserved.
Projects to create and store electricity.
Transforming the abandoned mine into a kind of large gravity battery is just one of the technologies being tested around the world to obtain and conserve energy produced from renewable sources. In fact, towards the end of 2023, the European Comission has started the centralized storage plan for energy produced from renewable sources that includes investments for more than 17 billion euros. These investments mainly refer to electrochemical storage and pumped hydroelectricity.
One of the main problems with renewable sources is that the energy produced is difficult to conserve and the idea of the gravity battery could partially solve this problem.
The impact on the world of electric cars
After what has been said so far, it is clear how the project to transform an old mine into a large battery capable of storing electricity (but also the other projects that scientists and engineers are working on) could also have an impact on the world of cars. electrical.
Today’s society is increasingly attentive to various environmental issues and that is also why electric cars are increasingly present on our roads. But to ensure that the transition from combustion engine cars to zero-emission cars continues quickly, it is necessary an adequate infrastructure network.
Simply put, electric cars need an adequate number of charging stations (both public and private). Therefore, systems that derive from renewable energy sources, such as the gravity battery (or others in development), may be useful to further promote the transition towards sustainable mobility.