THIS is the unbelievable plan for the world’s tallest skyscraper that’s a whopping three times bigger than The Shard and is designed to be a “giant battery”.
The architecture firm behind iconic structures like the Burj Khalifa and One World Trade Center have teamed up with an energy giant to turn the unbelievable concept into a reality.
Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM), the architecture and engineer firm behind various iconic buildings worldwide, have announced a partnership with energy storage company Energy Vault.
They look to develop new gravity energy storage solutions, like the incredible design for a futuristic skyscraper.
The mega-building would use an electricity-powered motor to lift giant blocks into the air when electricity demand is low.
These elevator-like blocks would then store the electricity as “potential” energy.
But when the city’s energy needs increasing, the blocks would be lowered, transforming the energy back into electricity.
The super-tower could reach incredible heights of up to a whopping 3,300ft and would house residents and have commercial spaces.
To successfully meet net zero targets by 2050, tech connected to the power grid that can store and distribute energy when necessary needs expanding, says the International Energy Association.
The gravity power method involves lifting an object, in this case a block, to a height before then dropping it.
By dropping it, the energy can transform into electricity.
The electrical energy used to lift the block is stored in the form of potential energy which then miraculously transforms into kinetic energy, according to Enel.
The firm are also looking to explore the futuristic use of pumped storage hydropower in skyscrapers, potentially replacing the designed blocks with water.
Pumped storage hydropower works by a turbine pumping water from a reservoir on lower ground to one on higher ground during off-peak hours.
But when demand goes up, the water is released to flow through an electricity-generated turbine.
This incredible setup could store enough energy to power numerous buildings with multi-gigawatt-hour capacity.
Energy Vault have already proved the concept could work as they’ve successfully built a 492ft energy-storing mega-structure in China.
At 2,717 ft tall, the structure in Dubai has been the tallest since 2009. It broke multiple world records, including world’s largest light and sound show staged on a single building.
2. Merdeka 118, Malaysia
Located in the capital Kuala Lumpur, this building is a megatall skyscraper spanning 2,227 ft height. It is also the tallest building in Southeast Asia and Malaysia. The spire of the building was finally completed in 2022.
3. Shanghai Tower, China
Synonymous to the name, it is located in Shanghai and is the tallest building in China at 2,073 ft. It is also the tallest and largest LEED platinum certified building in the world since 2015. The LEED is awarded to green structures that are environmentally sustainable.
4. Abraj Al-Bait Clock Tower, Saudi Arabia
A government-owned complex of seven skyscraper hotels in Mecca is aimed at catering the pilgrims and its tallest tower stands at 1,972 ft. It is also the sixth-tallest freestanding structure in the world.
5. Ping An International Finance Centre, China
At 1,966 ft tall, this skyscraper was completed in 2017 and is the second tallest building in China. It is also the second largest skyscraper in the world by floor area and holds the record for having the highest observation deck in a building.
