A system for collecting solar energy to be stored and distributed in a multi-unit building to be used for heat and electricity, comprising one or more solar energy collectors, one or more sunlight concentrating mirrors, photovoltaic panels, a heat mass storage area, and thermos siphoning to distribute heat energy throughout the building in conjunction with radiant heating technology.

A gray water heat recovery apparatus has first and second passes in counter-flow orientation. The hot side is gray water. The cold side is fresh water. It extracts heat from the gray water. The fresh water is carried in tubing bundles in series immersed in gray water sumps in a unitary cylindrical plastic, mild steel, stainless steel or copper pipe section that defines multiple flow passages. Both ends of the fresh water bundle assembly extend from the same upper end pipe closure, without a pressurized line wall penetration in the walls of the pipe. There is a non-electrically conductive barrier between the fresh water and gray water flow paths. The apparatus has a leak detection circuit and co-operable bypass valves. The lower manifold has gray water passages between the centering ears. The entire assembly is enclosed in a unitary external housing with axially accessible connection fittings.

A DC power plant generating DC power from a variety of engines including a Stirling cycle engine. The DC power plant includes a relatively small start-up power source that is discontinued after the engine is running. A method for producing DC power for a load including starting up an engine using power supplied by a relatively small power supply supplemented by a capacitor bank, providing output from the engine to a generator, producing alternating current (AC) power by the generator, converting the AC power to direct current (DC) power, disabling output of the DC power during a first set of pre-selected conditions, limiting a rate of change of current of the DC power during a second set of pre-selected conditions, reducing conducted and radiated emissions of the DC power, disconnecting the DC power from the load under a third set of pre-selected conditions, and providing the DC power to the load.

A DC power plant generating DC power from a variety of engines including a Stirling cycle engine. The DC power plant includes a relatively small start-up power source that is discontinued after the engine is running. A method for producing DC power for a load including starting up an engine using power supplied by a relatively small power supply supplemented by a capacitor bank, providing output from the engine to a generator, producing alternating current (AC) power by the generator, converting the AC power to direct current (DC) power, disabling output of the DC power during a first set of pre-selected conditions, limiting a rate of change of current of the DC power during a second set of pre-selected conditions, reducing conducted and radiated emissions of the DC power, disconnecting the DC power from the load under a third set of pre-selected conditions, and providing the DC power to the load.

There is herein described energy storage systems. More particularly, there is herein described thermal energy storage systems and use of energy storable material such as phase change material in the provision of heating and/or cooling systems in, for example, domestic dwellings.

Heat buffer comprising at least mechanically coupled wall parts, wherein each of the wall parts comprises a substantially plate-like body; a liquid throughflow circuit incorporated in the body; one or more hydraulic couplings accessible from the outer side of the wall part for discharge and supply of liquid to the liquid throughflow circuit and configured for coupling to hydraulic couplings of a similar device; and is coupled at a mutual angle about a substantially vertical axis to a similar wall part, wherein the mechanically coupled devices are connected such that they enclose one space and wherein the heat buffer also comprises a floor and/or cover part for closing the enclosed space on an upper and/or underside.

Subterranean thermal capacitance for an environmental-control apparatus mechanized via a solar thermal system. The method and apparatus use a solar collector and a plurality of heating-energy-storage cells that are each thermally insulated from one another, wherein heating energy-transfer fluid (HETF) coming from the solar collector is transferred to the energy-storage cell having the highest temperature that is greater than the temperature of the HETF, in order to segregate energy-storage cells to more efficiently store heating energy. Some embodiments further include an energy radiator that radiates thermal energy to an environment and thereby cools a cooling-energy-transfer fluid (CETF) and a plurality of cooling-energy-storage cells that are each thermally insulated from one another, wherein the CETF coming from the energy radiator is transferred to the cooling-energy-storage cell having the lowest temperature that is lower than the temperature of the ETF, in order to segregate cooling-energy-storage cells to more efficiently store cooling energy.

A method and system that allows thermal energy to be supplied at different temperature levels to consumers, where each consumer is provided with its desired temperature whenever that is necessary. The method or a system for supplying consumers with heat energy or with cooling energy includes a set of three or more conduits for carrying a heat transfer fluid, each conduit carrying fluid at one of three or more different temperatures or temperature ranges, a plurality of heating and/or cooling consumer appliances distributed along the length of the conduits, each consumer appliance being linked to one of a plurality of pairs of conduits such that either: a consumer appliance is linked on a high temperature side, or a consumer appliance is linked on a low temperature side; a number of heat or cold generators, each pair of conduits being connected to at least one of the generators.

A system of capturing waste heat includes a heat recovery unit (20) having a heat exchanger (35) arranged to transfer heat between a fluid circulating in a refrigerant loop (60) and a fluid circulating in a solar loop (70) and another heat exchanger (39) arranged to transfer heat between the fluid in the solar loop (70) and a fluid circulating in a water loop (50). Controllable first, second, and third three-way valves (V1-V3) provide or prevent, depending on fluid temperatures, an A-B, B-C, and A-C flow path through the valve. The first valve (V1) is arranged in the water loop (50) upstream of the second heat exchanger (39). The second (V2) is arranged in the solar loop (70) upstream of the second heat exchanger (39). The third valve (V3) is arranged in the solar loop (70) between the first and second heat exchangers (35, 39).

A DC power plant generating DC power from a variety of engines including a Stirling cycle engine. The DC power plant includes a relatively small start-up power source that is discontinued after the engine is running. A method for producing DC power for a load including starting up an engine using power supplied by a relatively small power supply supplemented by a capacitor bank, providing output from the engine to a generator, producing alternating current (AC) power by the generator, converting the AC power to direct current (DC) power, disabling output of the DC power during a first set of pre-selected conditions, limiting a rate of change of current of the DC power during a second set of pre-selected conditions, reducing conducted and radiated emissions of the DC power, disconnecting the DC power from the load under a third set of pre-selected conditions, and providing the DC power to the load.