Energy storage germanium mine

Can underground mines be used as energy storage?

The technology is estimated to have a global energy storage potential of 7 to 70 TWh and can support sustainable development, mainly by providing seasonal energy storage services. Add Interesting Engineering to your Google News feed. In a new study, scientists propose using the shafts of underground mines as energy-storing batteries.

Is germanium a good superconductor?

Germanium's longstanding role as superior superconductor for the electronics sector, along with its increasingly crucial role in forward-leaning clean energy, aerospace, telecommunication, and military technologies, firmly places this metalloid on America's critical minerals list.

Can abandoned mines be turned into energy storage?

Turning abandoned mines into energy storage is one example of many solutions that exist around us, and we only need to change the way we deploy them,” concludes Behnam Zakeri, study coauthor and a researcher in the IIASA Energy, Climate, and Environment Program.

Can germanium reduce signal loss over long distances in fiber optics?

"Germanium's ability to minimize signal loss over long distances in fiber optics has become increasingly important given the expanding demand for high performance data networking," Matthew Blackwood and Catherine DeFilippo from the U.S. International Trade Commission penned in a March 2024 report on Chinese export controls on germanium and gallium.

How does a sand mine affect energy storage capacity?

The deeper and broader the mineshaft, the more power can be extracted from the plant, and the larger the mine, the higher the plant's energy storage capacity, as per the release. Since the energy storage medium of UGES is sand, there is zero energy lost to self-discharge, unlike normal batteries.