Storage

Energy Vault lands partnership for building-based gravity storage

Energy Vault lands partnership for building-based gravity storage
EVu is a superstructure tower design, which enables GESS integration into tall buildings through the use of a hollowed structure with heights over 300 meters, and up to 1,000 meters tall. These structures will have the capacity to reach multi-GWh of gravity-based energy storage to power not only the building itself but also adjacent buildings’ energy needs (Credit: Energy Vault)

Energy Vault, a provider of sustainable, grid-scale energy storage solutions, and Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM), an architecture and engineering firm, announced a global exclusive gravity energy storage partnership.

SOM is responsible for designing buildings including Burj Khalifa, Tianjin CTF Finance Centre, Willis Tower, and One World Trade Center.

As part of this strategic partnership, SOM will be the exclusive architect and structural engineer for the next generation of fixed frames and deployable structures for all new Energy Vault gravity energy storage systems (GESS), including incorporating gravity energy storage technology into tall buildings in urban environments and deployable structures in natural environments.

Energy Vault began working with SOM during the last 12 months to optimize the structure, architecture, and economics of its GESS technology.

Energy Vault CEO Robert Piconi joined Episode 45 of the Factor This! podcast to discuss the long-duration energy storage dilemma, and how his company is using gravity and green hydrogen to help crack the code. Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.

G-VAULT, Energy Vault’s family of gravity-based solutions, is meant to be a flexible, low-cost, 35-year (or more) infrastructure asset designed for shifting power delivery without any energy storage medium degradation.

To date, Energy Vault’s G-VAULT product suite has focused primarily on the Company’s EVx platform, originally grid-connected (5 MW) and tested in Switzerland, which features a scalable and modular architecture that can scale to multi-GW-hour storage capacity. The EVx is currently being developed and deployed via license agreements in China (3.7 GWh announced projects), Egypt, Greece, and the 16-country South African Development Community, as previously announced. Through this partnership, Energy Vault and SOM are designing a new platform of G-VAULT GESS solutions focused on improved economics, energy density, and sustainability, including EVu, EVc, EVy, and EV0.

  • EVu is a superstructure tower design, which enables GESS integration into tall buildings through the use of a hollowed structure with heights over 300 meters, and up to 1,000 meters tall. These structures will have the capacity to reach multi-GWh of gravity-based energy storage to power not only the building itself but also adjacent buildings’ energy needs.
  • EVc enables the deployment of large-scale pumped hydro energy storage systems integrated within tall building structures using a modular water-based system. Primarily a standalone GESS, EVc can also be integrated into tall buildings that form the basis of the EVu design.
  • EVy applies Energy Vault’s core gravity technology to pre-existing slopes and topography to store energy with minimal environmental impact and reduce the need for manmade structures.
  • EV0 allows for all of the technical and economic benefits of traditional pumped hydro storage while reducing negative consequences associated with concrete production and disruption of existing wild-life eco-systems. This “modular pumped hydro” system leverages a fabric vessel (the Water Tree) to store the water in pre-manufactured modules that can be deployed quickly while leveraging pump turbines and penstock designs for existing pumped hydro systems.

“We are extremely pleased to begin this exclusive global partnership with Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, a firm with an unparalleled track record in developing some of the world’s most remarkable structures,” said Robert Piconi, chairman and chief executive officer of Energy Vault. “Our strategic partnership with SOM opens a new multi-billion dollar market segment for Energy Vault focused on the future of sustainability in new building design and energy efficiency. The combination of our pioneering work in gravity energy storage technology with the global track record and expertise of the most widely renowned engineering, design, and architecture firm in the world will provide the first platform toward delivering accelerated carbon payback in building construction and operation for the first time.”

“Since our founding, SOM has pushed the boundaries of architecture and engineering, redefining what buildings can do for cities and communities,” said SOM partner Adam Semel. “This partnership with Energy Vault is a commitment not only to accelerate the world’s transition away from fossil fuels, but also to explore, together, how the architecture of renewable energy can enhance our shared natural landscapes and urban environments. Given the transformative nature of Energy Vault’s technology, we’re especially excited to launch this unique, global partnership.”

Energy Vault is growing its portfolio of GESS deployments, highlighted by recent expansions of its global footprint into the African and Asian markets. In 2023, Energy Vault announced the commissioning of the world’s first EVx gravity storage system in China. Energy Vault also recently announced three additional EVx GESS deployments of 368 MWh in China through a license and royalty agreement announced in early 2022, bringing its total announced projects in China to 3.7 GWh.

Earlier this year, Energy Vault announced a new license and royalty agreement for its gravity technology portfolio with grid partners in South Africa covering the 16-country Southern African Development Community (SADC) region. The 10-year agreement is expected to result in multi-GWh of long duration Energy Vault GESS deployments to contribute to SADC region’s energy storage needs estimated to be 25 GW/125 GWh by 2035.

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