Scottish firm Gravitricity has partnered with Czech energy flexibility aggregator Nano Energies to commercialize their gravity storage technology.

The partnership plans to convert an old mine shaft in the Czech Republic into a gravity energy store, which can rapidly respond to grid fluctuations and could be a pioneer for European projects.

Gravitricity’s technology stores energy by lowering and raising a single massive weight suspended in a deep mine shaft.

Nano Energies plans to include the technology in its virtual power plants, which balance the grid by combining a range of electricity sources, including cogeneration units, solar parks, biogas and biomass stations, or backup generators with demand-side response.

Stanislav Chvála, Chief Executive Officer of Nano Energies said: “Gravitricity’s technology is able to respond to grid fluctuations very quickly and flexibly in terms of megawatt volume.

“We could thus involve them in our virtual power plants, which help balance the grid in the way that nowadays primarily coal and gas-fired power plants are able to do.”