Porous rocks can store energy to power a cityPhoto by Malcoln Oliveira on Pexels
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Porous rocks can store energy to power a city

Observador27 August 2026 at 23:35

Researchers from the Nova University of Lisbon and the University of Lisbon concluded that porous geological reservoirs located at depths between 1,000 and 2,500 meters can store up to one terawatt-hour of renewable energy. This capacity would be enough to power an entire city.

The study shows that porous rocks existing at depth in the subsurface have the capacity to function as huge natural batteries for clean energy storage. This solution could help solve one of the main challenges of renewable energies, which is their intermittency.

The research from the two Portuguese universities opens the way for a new approach to energy storage on an industrial scale. The geological reservoirs would represent an alternative to conventional battery systems for storing excess energy produced by renewable sources.

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