The Ups and Downs of Gravity Energy Storage: Startups are pioneering a radical new alternative to batteries for grid storage

Cranes are a familiar fixture of practically any city skyline, but one in the Swiss City of Ticino, near the Italian border, would stand out anywhere: It has six arms. This 110-meter-high starfish of the skyline isn't intended for construction. It's meant to prove that renewable energy can be stored by hefting heavy loads and dispatched by releasing them.