A method and mechanical system which incorporates a buoyancy engine into an Organic Rankine Cycle to create mechanical energy which may be used to generate electricity. The modified ORC consists of a closed loop containing a high molecular mass working fluid. The working fluid is vaporized in an evaporator, powers a buoyancy engine, and is recovered in a condenser. The system then utilizes a gravity feed to provide sufficient pressure at the evaporator input. The system can be implemented on a residential scale, capable of operating near ambient temperatures and pressures, and can produce carbon free electric power.

Disclosed is a combined energy supply system of wind, photovoltaic, solar thermal power and medium-based heat storage, capable of storing the energy which would have been “abandoned wind” and “abandoned light” temporarily in the form of heat by medium-based energy storage. Heat is released during peaks in the power grid to generate power, which serves the function of adjusting the peaks in the power grid. With the medium-based energy storage, unstable photovoltaic electric energy can be converted into stable heat energy output when a relatively large fluctuation occurs in wind and photovoltaic power generation, and therefore the stable supply of energy sources can be guaranteed efficiently. Furthermore, a second heater can also be used for heating the low-temperature media outputted by a first medium tank (100), or a third heater is used for heating water in a heat exchanger (500), and therefore the energy storage of the medium or the heating efficiency of the heat exchanger is improved.

A dispatchable storage combined cycle power plant comprises a combustion turbine generator, a steam power system, a heat source other than the combustion turbine generator, and a thermal energy storage system. Heat from the heat source, from the thermal energy storage system, or from the heat source and the thermal energy storage system is used to generate steam in the steam power system. Heat from the combustion turbine may be used in series with or in parallel with the thermal energy storage system and/or the heat source to generate the steam, and additionally to super heat the steam.

A hydraulic propulsion system converts heat or thermal energy into hydraulic energy, and such hydraulic energy into mechanical work. The hydraulic propulsion system includes a thermal unit, a hydraulic cylinder with pistons and springs mounted therein, one or more hydraulic motors, one or more hydraulic accumulators, and one or more electrical energy generators, as well as a plurality of flow control valves to control the flow of hydraulic fluid between the various components. The hydraulic propulsion system may be enhanced by an energy transmission unit including a wave generator.

An integrated energy system includes a nuclear thermal plant situated on a nuclear site. The nuclear thermal plant produces thermal energy that is transported to a thermal energy storage system located outside the nuclear site. The thermal storage system is thermally coupled to a power generation system which is also remote to the nuclear site. By this arrangement, the nuclear thermal plant is isolated and decoupled from the power generation system. The nuclear thermal plant may supply thermal energy upwards of 800° C. or more to be stored at the thermal energy storage system until needed such as for industrial heat, power generation, or other uses. The thermal storage system is source agnostic, and one or more additional thermal energy generators, such as additional nuclear reactors, solar thermal plants, or other thermal energy generators can be coupled to a common thermal storage system and power generation system.

Disclosed is an energy supply system using hot waste water that controls a supply of energy required according to a situation of agricultural facilities. The energy supply system includes a hot waste water pipe connecting a power plant and at least one facility so as to supply thermal energy to the at least one facility through hot waste water discharged from the power plant; a ground heat exchanger buried under a ground and connected to the at least one facility so as to supply geothermal energy to the at least one facility; at least one solar cell module disposed in the at least one facility and supplying electric energy to the at least one facility; and a server configured to individually control the thermal energy, the geothermal energy and the electrical energy supplied to the at least one facility according to an environmental state of the at least one facility.

A concentrated solar power (CSP) plant includes: a plurality of heliostats or a heliostat field; a substantially cylindrical solar energy receiver located atop a central tower and having an external surface covered with receiver panels and a heat shield adjacent the solar receiver, the heliostats reflecting solar energy to the external surface of the receiver, each receiver panel including a plurality of heat exchanger tubes configured to transport a heat transfer fluid, which are partly exposed on the external surface of the receiver; and a thermo-mechanical monitoring system for ensuring integrity of the solar receiver panel tubes in operation. The thermomechanical monitoring system includes at least: a plurality of thermal imaging devices located on ground and mounted each on a securing and orienting device, for measuring infrared radiation emitted by the external surface of the receiver and providing a panel temperature-dependent signal in an area of the external surface.

A system for extracting work from the expansion of a working fluid includes a vessel having at least a portion of the working fluid, a heating device in thermal communication with the portion of the working fluid in the vessel for heating the portion of the working fluid in the vessel and expanding the working fluid, and a conversion tool. The conversion tool is in fluid communication with the vessel and is configured to receive working fluid from the vessel when the working fluid expands. The conversion tool is further configured to extract work from the expanded working fluid.

A system comprising two or more thermal stores, a single store for pressurised air and a means of collecting relatively low-grade heat offers the potential for an energy storage system that achieves two desirable aims at the same time: (i) the total exergy that may be released when a given pressurised air store is discharged is maximised and (ii) the ratio between the exergy extracted and the work invested in compressing the air via a multi-stage compressor is also increased by exploiting some source of low-grade heat to augment the thermal content of several thermal stores. The system comprises a compressed air energy storage system which tends, in any one fill-empty cycle of the pressurised air store, to pump heat upwards in temperature from lower-grade stores to the highest-grade thermal store as well as a thermal capture subsystem that can augment the heat content of the lower-grade thermal stores. Some provision is also present whereby other fluid can be introduced into the expansion process in addition to the air that was compressed via the multi-stage compressor facility.

A system comprising two or more thermal stores, a single store for pressurised air and a means of collecting relatively low-grade heat offers the potential for an energy storage system that achieves two desirable aims at the same time: (i) the total exergy that may be released when a given pressurised air store is discharged is maximised and (ii) the ratio between the exergy extracted and the work invested in compressing the air via a multi-stage compressor is also increased by exploiting some source of low-grade heat to augment the thermal content of several thermal stores. The system comprises a compressed air energy storage system which tends, in any one fill-empty cycle of the pressurised air store, to pump heat upwards in temperature from lower-grade stores to the highest-grade thermal store as well as a thermal capture subsystem that can augment the heat content of the lower-grade thermal stores. Some provision is also present whereby other fluid can be introduced into the expansion process in addition to the air that was compressed via the multi-stage compressor facility.