Systems and methods for gravity energy storage

A control system for a gravity well, comprising:

• a controller;
• a plurality of sensors coupled to the controller;
• and
• a power control system (PCS) coupled to the controller, the PCS comprising:
• an active front end (AFE) component configured to communicate with a grid based, at least in part, on a plurality of target control parameters and a plurality of reference signals, the plurality of target control parameters and the plurality of reference signals generated based on signals from the plurality of sensors;
• and
• a variable-frequency drive (VFD) and configured to store the plurality of target control parameters.

A method for controlling charge or discharge of a gravity well or gravity well system, comprising:

• receiving, at an active front end (AFE) controller, a plurality of reference signals and a plurality of target control parameters, the plurality of reference signals comprising at least one of a power reference, a speed reference, and a voltage reference (Vref);
• adjusting, based at least in part on the plurality of reference signals, a rate of change associated with each of the plurality of target control parameters;
• storing, at a variable-frequency drive (VFD), the plurality of target control parameters;
• and
• communicating with a grid based on the plurality of target control parameters.