this post was submitted on 13 May 2025
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A German experiment proved that simple concrete spheres make fantastic batteries. Now, California plans to submerge a 9-meter diameter sphere in the ocean and is already planning versions of 30 meters (libranet.de)
submitted 2 weeks ago by fu@libranet.de to c/science@beehaw.org
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A German experiment proved that simple concrete spheres make fantastic batteries. Now, California plans to submerge a 9-meter diameter sphere in the ocean and is already planning versions of 30 meters. - farmingdale-observer.com/2025/…

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[–] MacroCyclo@lemmy.ca 14 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Looks like you only recover about 70-80% of the electricity. Much less than a chemical battery, but it's also much cheaper to build.

[–] Boomkop3@reddthat.com 11 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Bonus tho: gravity doesn't degrade as much. And rocks don't contain a lot of dangerous chemicals

[–] IrritableOcelot@beehaw.org 3 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

These aren't relying on gravity, theyre relying on maintaining a vacuum, and concrete is extremely porous. They're obviously sealing the inside of the chamber, but basically no coatings have a lifetime of 60 years for holding vacuum.

[–] Boomkop3@reddthat.com 2 points 2 weeks ago

Oh you're right. That's on me for reading while tired.

It's definitely possible to build a structure like this. Even if these prototypes might not be perfect,, I like the idea.