Inspiration
Heard about the potential (pun intended) in using gravity to generate electricity. One of the mentors suggested trains, so we decided to explore the possibility of reusing mine carts in abandoned mines.
What it does
It calculates the total KW storage potential given number or carts, weight per cart, length of track and incline.
How we built it
Got data from different sites such as PGE TOU then used it in physics formulas to calculate the potential energy and possible savings.
Challenges we ran into
Finding weights of mine carts was certainly a challenge. There is certainly a wide range of carts dating back many years. Also TOU rates are only available in some states.
Accomplishments that we're proud of
Proud of the fact that given the right params this could actually work!
What we learned
It takes a lot more weight than I initially thought to store a significant amount of energy.
What's next for GravLabs
Looking to get more realistic mine data.
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