Skyscrapers as gravity batteries 🏙️

Description: Plus: The fastest supercomputer is now located in the US Jun 01, 2022 [Blueprint]( When you look at a skyscraper, you may marvel at its scale, its impressive engineering, or perhaps ponder the excesses of the modern world. But a team of researchers from Austria saw enormous amounts of pre-built energy storage, ready to be tapped. It’s a compelling idea: by turning skyscrapers into giant gravity batteries, we can store renewable energy at remarkably cheap costs. Crucially, since all high-rise buildings have elevators, converting them to batteries wouldn’t call for extra investment. It's a win-win. Before we go down that elevator shaft, watch today’s video to see a massive mechanical elephant that looks and feels like a steampunk fever dream. Good morning. I’m Derya, an editor at IE. This is The Blueprint. Let's take a closer look. [Play]VIDEO OF THE DAY [A 40-foot mechanical elephant pulls 50 passengers like a steampunk masterpiece]( [Mechanical elephant.]( Hop on. [Must Read]MUST READ [Skyscrapers could be energy storage devices with a new breakthrough method]( [Looking down at an open-plan elevator shaft and exterior window.]( Researchers at the International Institute of Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA) in Vienna, Austria, have suggested a nifty idea of [converting skyscrapers into storage units]( for energy generated through renewables. Reaching new heights. Called the Lift Energy Storage System (LEST), the system will use the downtime of the elevator systems in tall buildings to move heavy loads like containers of wet sand from the bottom to the top floors when excess energy is available from renewables. When the energy is needed, these weights can be [moved back down through the elevators](. This can be done for existing skyscrapers and also ones still in development. The researchers estimate that high-rise energy storage cost could range from $21 to 128 per kWh, which is still far cheaper than the comparably excessive $345 consumed by conventional battery systems. All we need now is an entrepreneur willing to make this thought experiment a reality on the ground. [READ MORE [Arrow]]( [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Linkedin]( [INNOVATION]INNOVATION [The fastest supercomputer is now located in the US]( The U.S. is back on top of [the list of the world's most powerful computer systems](. This is also the first instance of a supercomputer crossing the exascale ceiling in a benchmark test. [READ MORE [Arrow]]( And Other Stories in Innovation - NASA [is preparing for a June 5 dress rehearsal]( of its first Artemis I moon mission. - A new type of boat [uses spider legs to slice through waves]( like butter. - Elon Musk says Starlink 2.0 will be “[almost an order of magnitude more capable](. [HEALTH]HEALTH [Coffee drinkers have a 29 percent lower risk of death than non-coffee drinkers]( Estimates suggest that more than 400 million cups of coffee are consumed every day in the U.S. And turns out, people who drink coffee regularly, with or without sugar, [both seem to benefit from the beverage]( as it cuts down on the risk of early death. [READ MORE [Arrow]]( And Other Stories in Health - A human liver preserved for three days outside of the body [was successfully transplanted](. - Monkeypox can be contained, [but immediate action is needed]( WHO says. - A natural lung cancer treatment? Researchers [are testing an herbal supplement](. [MAIL & MUSINGS]MAIL & MUSINGS Storing energy turns out to be surprisingly hard and expensive. When will we solve our renewable energy battery storage problem? [Soon. The solution is just around the corner.]( [It’s not a matter of “when” but “how”.]( [It’s futile. We should focus on nuclear energy instead.]( [How would I know?]( YESTERDAY'S RESULTS We asked what China should do with the huge amounts of uranium it recently found. According to 54 percent of you, the more nuclear reactors, the merrier. 54% The more nuclear reactors, the merrier. 17% Sell it to the U.S. 15% Put it on the black market! Let chaos reign. 13% Build nuclear weapons, because why not, I guess. [QUOTE OF THE DAY]QUOTE OF THE DAY "The so-called science of poll-taking is not a science at all but a mere necromancy. People are unpredictable by nature, and although you can take a nation’s pulse, you can’t be sure that the nation hasn’t just run up a flight of stairs." E. B. White in New Yorker, November 13, 1948 [THINGS WE LOVE]THINGS WE LOVE [image]( [Cyber Acoustics Speaker System]( [image]( [Logitech MX Wireless Mouse]( [image]( [Birgus Reading Pen]( [image]( [Bose Companion 2 Series III]( [AND ANOTHER THING]AND ANOTHER THING - A new study has found that small nuclear reactors [may create 30 times more radioactive waste](. - Can the world [overshoot its climate targets]( — and then fix it later? (Grist) - A major drought [has revealed a 3,400-year-old city]( near the Tigris River. - For nearly 60 years, a former monk toiled almost single-handedly on [an extraordinary building outside Madrid](. Is it folly or a masterpiece? (The Guardian) - A brilliant retro gamer [brings the Nintendo Power Glove back to life]( with a Switch. - The push-button ignition [was a luxurious way to start your car]( until it wasn’t. (The Verge) - Mercury might be the smallest planet in our Solar System, [but it's certainly a fighter](. Prepared by Derya Özdemir and Brad Bergan Enjoy Reading? Forward this email to a friend. Was this email forwarded to you? [Join Free!]( [About Us]( [Advertise]( [Contact Us]( [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Youtube]( [Linkedin]( [Instagram]( You are receiving this email because you have subscribed to our newsletter. Manage you e-mail preferences or unsubscribe [here](. © Copyright 2022 | The Blueprint is by Interesting Engineering, Inc. 201 Spear Street, Suite 1100 San Francisco, CA 94105 | All Rights Reserved [Interesting Engineering]