Energy Vault tests and commissions the world’s first commercial-scale gravity energy storage system

Leading grid-scale energy storage solutions provider, Energy Vault Holdings Inc., (Energy Vault) earlier in May announced that it has completed the testing and commissioning of the Rudong EVx, the world's first commercial-scale gravity energy storage system (GESS).

The testing included the successful charging and discharging of units of the 25MW/100 MWh GESS. In addition, Energy Vault also announced the extension of its EVx licensing agreement with Atlas Renewable from 7.5 years to 15 years. The Rudong EVx GESS is invested in and built by China Tianying Co. Ltd (CNTY) in partnership with Energy Vault and Atlas Renewable.

"The successful testing and commissioning of the Rudong EVx, the world's first grid-scale gravity energy storage system, is a significant milestone for Energy Vault, our local partners Atlas and CNTY, and importantly for China and their progress toward achieving their goals for net carbon neutrality," said Robert Piconi, Chairman and CEO of Energy Vault.

"This testing demonstrates that gravity energy storage technology promises to play a key role in supporting the energy transition and decarbonization goals of China, the world's largest energy storage market."

With a total investment of RMB 650 million, the 100MWh GESS Project is a 120-meter-long and 110-meter-wide. The 148-meter-high energy storage tower employs advanced gravity energy storage technologies, with the vertical lifting and horizontal movement of mobile blocks controlled via AI algorithms which help realize conversion between potential energy and electricity.

Energy Vault noted that in the past year, CNTY has announced eight additional EVx GESS deployments across multiple provinces in China, totaling more than 3.7GWh which will generate future project revenue royalty streams for the company as the systems get built and commissioned

The main construction of the Rudong EVx project was completed in Sept. 2023; the Project was selected as the first-of-its-kind major technical equipment (project) in the energy field by China's National Energy Administration (NEA). In January 2024, it was listed as the pilot demo project for emerging energy storage by the NEA together with the 17MW/68MWh GESS project in Zhangye, Gansu Province. The select projects receive increased management oversight by provincial-level energy authorities, enabling support and swifter progress related to project construction, data reporting, compliance, and safety measures among other issues of focus. 

The extension of the EVx licensing agreement hints at the critical role GESS technology is set to play in China's energy transition and decarbonization goals.