Advanced Rail Energy Storage: Green Energy Storage for Green Energy

Abstract Advanced Rail Energy Storage (ARES) has developed a breakthrough gravity-based technology that will permit the global electric grid to move effectively, reliably, and cleanly assimilate renewable energy and provide significant stability to the grid. ARES stores energy by raising the elevation of mass against the force of gravity, and recovers the stored energy as the mass is returned to its original location. ARES has combined proven electric railroad technology with modern electronics in an internationally patented system that has very low technology risk, growing markets, limited competition, and expected high returns to investors. ARES will use surplus wind/solar or other low-cost energy from the grid to move hundreds of tons (millions of pounds) of mass uphill on railroad shuttles, effectively storing thousands of megawatt-hours of potential energy to power a medium-sized city for several hours.