Next big thing on Energy

I guess you are already aware about the duck shape (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YYLzss58CLs) issue we have more and more, as cheap photovoltaics installations increase worldwide:
- We have over solar power production peak at 12:00 and a need other ways of production to keep starting (night) and shutting down (12:00) (but they don't have this flexibility).

So the best strategy will most certainly be to store energy (trend: https://www.iea.org/data-and-statistics/charts/annual-energy-storage-deployment-by-country-2013-2019).

We can support projects that create huge batteries to centralize and make easier to manage storing and releasing of energy:
. https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/tesla-battery-farm-angelton-texas-204329254.html
But even better are centralized projects that don't even need the scarce resource of batteries (needed for huge electric vehicles ramp up, that is coming very soon):
. Several: https://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/what-on-earth-energy-storage-1.5936749
. Gravity:
- https://www.gravitricity.com/ (prototype: https://www.energylivenews.com/2021/03/10/gravity-energy-storage-project-lifts-off-in-edinburgh/ *)
- Energy Vault
- Gravitricity
- http://www.stratosolar.com/solve-for-x-videos.html# - Raise or lower weights on a PV kit (I wouldn't bet much on this one, due to safety issues and as renewables are enough on the ground; and storage for them are more of a side project)
. Pumped hydro: besides the traditional dams (since 1920) we now have:
- Reservoirs above lakes (https://www.bakersfield.com/news/large-energy-storage-project-would-create-new-reservoir-above-isabella-lake/article_a79ff7ee-4955-11eb-a6d5-5b06b053bb14.html)
- Underground pumped storage hydropower:
+ Elmhurst Quarry Pumped Storage Project (https://www.hydroreview.com/environmental/pumped-storage-investigating-development-of-the-elmhurst-quarry-project/)
+ Gravity Power - pumped water pushes a piston
+ https://n-e-l-g.de/ - pumped water pushes a piston
+ Gravity Storage: https://heindl-energy.com/technical-concept/basic-concept/
+ Quidnet Energy - geomechanical pumped storage
. Flywheel: https://beaconpower.com/
. Hydrogen: although low efficiency, have pro of being used on vehicles (high energy density)
. Molten Salt: example associated to last generation nuclear power generation coling (https://newatlas.com/energy/natrium-molten-salt-nuclear-reactor-storage/)

In conclusion, I think it will be strategically a safe business bet to support these kind of projects to grow a lot in the world.

Distributed storage in each residence/company is only feasible using batteries > but batteries will be needed for electric vehicles ramp up > centralized storage can be done without batteries (buy cheap sell expensive) > more environment friendly + easier to manage energy network ups and downs (compared to distributed)


* Is not a good solution though, to have these projects implemented individually. They need to be cooperative and with a commons mindset.
E.g. the Gravitricity's Edinburgh demonstrator has already 7 usable meters high, 2x25 tons and although can provide a peak power of 250kW it can only store 972Wh (an modest electric car stores 40.000Wh)! This stores much less energy in much more space (min: 7m*2.88m*2.88m m^3 / 972 Wh = 60 m3/kWh):
60 vs 0.003 m3/kWh of Li-ion batteries (20.000X more)! ,
so the advantage is that is less technologically demanding (no clean room) to produce and upscale , but we need a lot of space(https://www.theengineer.co.uk/huisman-kelvin-power-gravitricity/)
(comments at https://newatlas.com/energy/gravitricity-gravity-renewable-energy-storage-system/ for E=mgh Joule to kWh support)