There’s a battery that runs on water: It’s in Switzerland

Imagine you're on a mission to discover the coolest batteries in the world. You've got your typical AA batteries for your gadgets, some fancy rechargeable ones for your game controllers, and then you stumble upon the craziest battery ever - a water-powered one! Yes, you heard it right. In the land of Swiss chocolate and the Swiss Alps, they've got a mega water battery that's like no other.


On July 1, 2022, Switzerland unleashed the incredible Nant de Drance water battery. Now, this thing isn't your regular battery. It's nestled high up in the Swiss Alps, and it's a real giant. This water battery can store so much electricity that it could power up a whopping 400,000 electric vehicle batteries! That's like having a superpower for your electric cars.


But here's the scoop, it didn't just appear overnight. It took a whopping 14 years to build this monster of a battery. Imagine all the hard work and brainpower that went into creating it. This project is a big deal in the world of renewable energy, which is like the superhero of power sources.


Renewable energy: What is it all about?

Now, what's renewable energy, you ask? Well, think of it as energy that's super eco-friendly. It doesn't run out, and it doesn't harm our planet. It's the energy of the future! We're talking about things like sunlight, wind, and, you guessed it, water. The Nant de Drance water battery uses water to store and release electricity. It's like a magical water reservoir of power.


Nant de Drance: How does this water battery work?

Now, let's dive into the wonders of a water battery – also called a pumped storage power plant. It's like a hydro-electric superhero waiting to save the day! Imagine two massive pools of water, but they're at different heights, like a water slide with two levels. Now, here's the magic: When we move water from the lower pool to the higher pool, it's like we're charging up a giant battery, just with water!


Now, let's take a virtual trip to the Swiss canton of Valais, where Nant de Drance is doing something extraordinary. his isn't just any ordinary battery; it's a game-changer for Europe's mission to go green. So, what's the buzz all about? Let's find out!


Picture this: Beneath the ground, there are 17 kilometers of secret tunnels. In these tunnels, six colossal turbines are waiting to spring into action. These turbines are like the superheroes of the power world. They're powered by water rushing down from the higher reservoir to the lower one, and that's how they generate supercharged energy.


Remember the two pools of water at different heights, mentioned earlier? Well, one of them, the higher one called Vieux-Emosson, got a bit of a lift. They raised it 21.5 meters up to give it more space. It's like giving it a bigger backpack to hold more power. Now, it can hold a staggering 25 million cubic meters of water, which is like having enough water to fill 6,500 Olympic-sized swimming pools!


So, there you have it, the Nant de Drance water battery – a mind-blowing piece of the future. It's like a giant water rollercoaster for power, and it's helping Europe make the switch to clean and green energy. The world of renewable energy just got a whole lot cooler!


The energy storing mechanism of Nant de Drance

This incredible water battery system is like a super eco-friendly superhero. It works by moving water between two big containers, one above the other. When there's extra power in the system, like when we have lots of sunshine from solar panels or strong winds for wind turbines, this water battery goes into action. It uses some electricity to pump water from the lower container to the upper one. It's like filling up a giant water tank high in the sky.


Now, when we need more electricity because people are using a lot of it, the water battery comes to the rescue. It takes water from the upper container and lets it flow back down to the lower one. But here's the cool part – as the water flows down, it helps make electricity! It's like turning the water's energy into electricity. So, the upper container is like a massive ecological battery that saves this energy until we need it. This way, we always have the right amount of electricity to power our homes and gadgets.


Now, you might be wondering how much energy this amazing water battery can store. Well, it can hold a whopping 20,000 megawatt hours of energy and has a power rating of 900 megawatts. That's a lot of power! Thanks to this incredible invention called Nant de Drance, Switzerland can start using more renewable energy sources like the sun and wind. But here's the thing – to make this work across Europe, we need to build 200 gigawatts of these energy-storing systems by 2030. That's more than four times what we have now!


What makes this water battery so special?

But wait, there's more! This battery is not just some hidden treasure in the mountains; it's here to help stabilize electricity in Europe. Picture this: sometimes the wind blows strong, and other times it's as calm as a sleeping kitten. The same goes for sunshine; it can be shy on cloudy days. These fluctuations can mess with the power grid, causing problems. But this mega water battery can swoop in and save the day.


It stores up energy when there's plenty of wind and sunshine, and then, when we need it the most, like during those dark and stormy nights, it releases the stored energy. It's like having a superhero on standby to keep the lights on.


So, there you have it, the incredible Nant de Drance water battery in the Swiss Alps. It's like something out of a science fiction movie, but it's real, and it's making the world a cleaner and brighter place.