An energy storage system converts variable renewable electricity (VRE) to continuous heat at over 1000° C. Intermittent electrical energy heats a solid medium. Heat from the solid medium is delivered continuously on demand. An array of bricks incorporating internal radiation cavities is directly heated by thermal radiation. The cavities facilitate rapid, uniform heating via reradiation. Heat delivery via flowing gas establishes a thermocline which maintains high outlet temperature throughout discharge. Gas flows through structured pathways within the array, delivering heat which may be used for processes including calcination, hydrogen electrolysis, steam generation, and thermal power generation and cogeneration. Groups of thermal storage arrays may be controlled and operated at high temperatures without thermal runaway via deep-discharge sequencing. Forecast-based control enables continuous, year-round heat supply using current and advance information of weather and VRE availability. High-voltage DC power conversion and distribution circuitry improves the efficiency of VRE power transfer into the system.

An energy storage system converts variable renewable electricity (VRE) to continuous heat at over 1000° C. Intermittent electrical energy heats a solid medium. Heat from the solid medium is delivered continuously on demand. An array of bricks incorporating internal radiation cavities is directly heated by thermal radiation. The cavities facilitate rapid, uniform heating via reradiation. Heat delivery via flowing gas establishes a thermocline which maintains high outlet temperature throughout discharge. Gas flows through structured pathways within the array, delivering heat which may be used for processes including calcination, hydrogen electrolysis, steam generation, and thermal power generation and cogeneration. Groups of thermal storage arrays may be controlled and operated at high temperatures without thermal runaway via deep-discharge sequencing. Forecast-based control enables continuous, year-round heat supply using current and advance information of weather and VRE availability. High-voltage DC power conversion and distribution circuitry improves the efficiency of VRE power transfer into the system.

An energy storage system converts variable renewable electricity (VRE) to continuous heat at over 1000° C. Intermittent electrical energy heats a solid medium. Heat from the solid medium is delivered continuously on demand. An array of bricks incorporating internal radiation cavities is directly heated by thermal radiation. The cavities facilitate rapid, uniform heating via reradiation. Heat delivery via flowing gas establishes a thermocline which maintains high outlet temperature throughout discharge. Gas flows through structured pathways within the array, delivering heat which may be used for processes including calcination, hydrogen electrolysis, steam generation, and thermal power generation and cogeneration. Groups of thermal storage arrays may be controlled and operated at high temperatures without thermal runaway via deep-discharge sequencing. Forecast-based control enables continuous, year-round heat supply using current and advance information of weather and VRE availability. High-voltage DC power conversion and distribution circuitry improves the efficiency of VRE power transfer into the system.

An energy storage system converts variable renewable electricity (VRE) to continuous heat at over 1000° C. Intermittent electrical energy heats a solid medium. Heat from the solid medium is delivered continuously on demand. An array of bricks incorporating internal radiation cavities is directly heated by thermal radiation. The cavities facilitate rapid, uniform heating via reradiation. Heat delivery via flowing gas establishes a thermocline which maintains high outlet temperature throughout discharge. Gas flows through structured pathways within the array, delivering heat which may be used for processes including calcination, hydrogen electrolysis, steam generation, and thermal power generation and cogeneration. Groups of thermal storage arrays may be controlled and operated at high temperatures without thermal runaway via deep-discharge sequencing. Forecast-based control enables continuous, year-round heat supply using current and advance information of weather and VRE availability. High-voltage DC power conversion and distribution circuitry improves the efficiency of VRE power transfer into the system.

A method of operating a thermal energy storage system comprises operating a pump to circulate a heat transfer fluid from cold storage through a heating system to hot storage, supplying electric power from an electric power grid external to the thermal energy storage system to power an electric heater in the heating system that heats the heat transfer fluid as it circulates through the heating system to hot storage, regulating a flow rate of the heat transfer fluid through the heating system so that the heat transfer fluid enters hot storage at a specified temperature, and regulating the supplying of electric power from the electric power grid to the electric heater to balance supply of and demand for power on the electric power grid and maintain a frequency, a voltage, or a frequency and a voltage of electric power on the electric power grid at specified values.

Apparatus for extracting useful work or electricity from low grade thermal sources comprising a chamber, a source of heated dense heat transfer fluid in communication with the chamber, a source of motive fluid in communication with the chamber, wherein the motive fluid comprises a liquid phase, a flow control mechanism cooperating with the source of heated dense heat transfer fluid and with the source of motive fluid to deliver said fluids into the chamber in a manner that said fluids come into direct contact with each other in the chamber to effect a phase change of the motive fluid from liquid to gas to increase the pressure within the chamber to yield pressurized fluids, and a work extracting mechanism in communication with the chamber that extracts work from the pressurized fluids by way of pressure let down.

A method of using a combustor for high temperature combustion. The combustor is equipped with a showerhead type micromix air-fuel injector. The injector faceplate has its ports concentrically arranged into “banks”, to which delivery of fuel can be controlled on a bank-by-bank basis. During combustor operation, the temperature of the air into the combustor is monitored. If the temperature is above a predetermined threshold, fuel is delivered to fewer than all banks of ports. As a result, the bank(s) of ports to which fuel is not delivered inject only air into the combustion chamber, and the other bank(s) of ports inject the air-fuel mixture as usual.

A stand-alone long-distance closed-loop heat energy capture, conveyance, and delivery system, comprises three closed-loop modules in serial communication. The first module is in communication with a first closed-loop piping infrastructure interconnected with a source of heat energy, and has a LBP liquid circulating therein whereby the LBP liquid is converted into its gas phase when flowing through the source of heat energy thereby capturing a portion of heat energy therefrom, and is converted into its liquid phase when flowing through a first heat exchanger that transfers the captured-heat energy to a second closed-loop piping infrastructure wherein also is circulating a LBP liquid. The second closed-loop module may extend for long distances. The captured-heat energy in the second module is transferred to a third closed-loop piping infrastructure wherein is also circulating a LBP liquid. The captured-heat energy is transferred from the third module to a delivery site.

An energy storage system converts variable renewable electricity (VRE) to continuous heat at over 1000° C. Intermittent electrical energy heats a solid medium. Heat from the solid medium is delivered continuously on demand. An array of bricks incorporating internal radiation cavities is directly heated by thermal radiation. The cavities facilitate rapid, uniform heating via reradiation. Heat delivery via flowing gas establishes a thermocline which maintains high outlet temperature throughout discharge. Gas flows through structured pathways within the array, delivering heat which may be used for processes including calcination, hydrogen electrolysis, steam generation, and thermal power generation and cogeneration. Groups of thermal storage arrays may be controlled and operated at high temperatures without thermal runaway via deep-discharge sequencing. Forecast-based control enables continuous, year-round heat supply using current and advance information of weather and VRE availability. High-voltage DC power conversion and distribution circuitry improves the efficiency of VRE power transfer into the system.

A method of operating a solar energy plant and a solar plant are disclosed. Thermal energy produced in the plant is used to heat a first volume of water and charge a hot store in the plant. Electricity produced in the plant operates a heat engine or other device, such as a refrigeration unit, to extract heat and consequently cool a second volume of water and charge a cold store. As desired, energy is transferred from the hot store to a heat engine and energy is transferred from the heat engine to the cold store to operate the heat engine to produce power in the plant.