Compute stored gravitational energy and the height change needed for a target energy.
Gravitational storage is energy-dense only at large mass or great height: a tonne raised 100 metres stores under 0.3 kWh even before losses. That is why pumped hydro uses reservoirs rather than weights. The height needed for a single kilowatt-hour makes the fundamental limitation of gravity storage immediately obvious.
Gravitational Potential Energy
E = m g Δh, reduced by the round-trip conversion efficiency
E = m g Δh, reduced by the round-trip conversion efficiency Gravitational storage is energy-dense only at large mass or great height: a tonne raised 100 metres stores under 0.3 kWh even before losses. That is why pumped hydro uses reservoirs rather than weights.
The height needed for a single kilowatt-hour makes the fundamental limitation of gravity storage immediately obvious.
This calculator takes 4 inputs: Mass, Change in height, Gravitational acceleration, Conversion efficiency. The pre-filled defaults are a realistic starting point — replace them with figures from your own environment for a result you can act on.