A Scottish company is using the Pihäjärvi mine to build the first full-scale gravitational energy storage prototype.
advertisementOne of the deepest mines in Europe, located in a small Finnish town, is being converted into an underground energy storage. It uses gravity to hold excess power for when you need it.
Pyhäjärvi is a remote Finnish community located 450 kilometers north of Helsinki. The over 1,400 meter deep zinc and copper Pihasalmi mine has been decommissioned but is now being given new life by Scottish-based company Gravitricity.
The company has developed energy storage system This increases or decreases weight and provides “some of the best properties of lithium-ion batteries and pumped hydro storage.”
How do gravity batteries work?
When there is excess power from the wind turbines, such as on windy days, the weights are hoisted into the 530 meter auxiliary shaft of the Pyhhasalmi mine. To generate energy, these weights are released to turn the winch into a generator, producing short bursts or slow trickles of electricity as needed.
The gravity energy system can store 2MW of electricity and integrate it into local energy. energy grid.
A study published last month by an international team of researchers shows that gravity batteries in decommissioned mines could provide a cost-effective long-term solution for storing energy as the world transitions to renewable electricity. It turned out that there is a sex.
Scientists at the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA) have discovered that abandoned mine shafts around the world can store up to 70TWh of electricity. World daily electricity consumption.
Bringing “low carbon” jobs to mining communities
The local community of Pihäjärvi has set up a development company to facilitate the rehabilitation of the old mine. The company has just signed a deal with Gravitricity to turn an old mine shaft into the first full-scale prototype of its technology.
According to the company, they “anticipate that this may be the first Gravisstore implementation in Europe.”
“This project provides a full-scale demonstration of how our technology can provide reliable, long-life energy storage that can capture and store energy during periods of low demand and quickly release it when needed. ” said Martin Wright, Executive Chairman of Gravitricity.
“This full-scale project provides a pathway to other commercial projects and allows us to incorporate our solution into mine decommissioning activities, providing a potential future for mines that are nearing the end of their original useful life. We provide.”
Wright added that he is looking forward to what the project will offer. “Low carbon employment” In areas that have been severely affected by the closure of mining operations.
The mine opened in 1962 and over 60 million tons of ore was mined during its lifetime. Once a major employer in the area, it closed in August 2022, leaving many unemployed.
The gravity battery is one of several community-led projects at the mine aimed at breathing new life into the area. This includes solar power plants, high-tech startups, and underground 5G networks.