A system generating power is disclosed. The system generates power from brine discharged into a body of water, such as a sea or ocean. The system comprises a brine source and a pipe. The brine source located at a first elevation transfers brine into the pipe. Brine travels through the pipe and is discharged into the body of water through a discharge outlet located at a second elevation. The first elevation is a higher elevation than the second elevation. Power is generated due the gravitational hydrostatic pressure difference between the brine and the water at the discharge outlet due to the density difference between brine and water, and the elevation difference between the first elevation and the second elevation. In some embodiments, power may be extracted by a turbine, or pressure exchanger, or generator. In some embodiments, the brine source may comprise brine produced by a desalination system.

Disclosed techniques include gas liquefaction using hybrid processing. A gas is compressed adiabatically to produce a compressed gas at a first pressure. The compressing a gas adiabatically is accomplished using one or more compressing stages. Heat is extracted from the compressed gas at a first pressure. The heat that is extracted is collected in a thermal store. The compressed gas at a first pressure is further compressed. The further compressing is accomplished using a first liquid piston compressor. The further compressing produces a compressed gas at a second pressure. The first liquid piston compressor is cooled using a liquid spray. The compressed gas at a second pressure is cooled using a heat exchanger. The cooling accomplishes liquefaction of the compressed gas at a second pressure. The gas that was liquefied is stored for future use. The gas that was liquefied is used to perform work.

The present application pertains to systems and methods for storing and generating power. In one embodiment the system pertains to a first storage reservoir near the surface of a body of water and configured to store a fluid which has a lower density than water. A second storage reservoir is located below the surface of the body of water and configured to store a fluid which has a higher density than water. A pump, generator, and the first and second reservoir are operatively connected such that power is stored by displacing the fluid which has a higher density than water in the second storage reservoir by pumping the fluid which has a lower density than water in the first storage reservoir to the second storage reservoir. Power is generated or discharged by allowing the fluid which has a lower density than water in the second storage reservoir to return to the first storage reservoir. The fluid which has a higher density than water may be in liquid form.

The present application pertains to systems and methods for desalination. In one embodiment the system employs a first storage reservoir configured to be near the surface of a body of water and configured to store a low density fluid. A second storage reservoir is configured to be located below the surface of the body of water. A desalination system is operably connected to the second reservoir. Desalinated water is produced by allowing desalination permeate to displace low density fluid in the second reservoir and transfer the low density fluid from the second reservoir to the first reservoir. Desalinated water is exported by transferring low density fluid from the first reservoir into the second reservoir to displace desalinated water from the second reservoir into a water export pipeline.

Disclosed techniques include enabling controlled refrigeration and liquefaction and energy management. A liquid is pumped into a closed chamber to compress a vapor. Pressure is increased in the closed chamber by pumping additional liquid into the closed chamber. The increasing pressure enables assimilation of the vapor into the liquid. The heat of compression is removed from the vapor simultaneously with compression. The liquid containing the vapor that was assimilated is withdrawn from the chamber. It is flashed to release at least a portion of the vapor that was assimilated. The flashing results in absorbing a latent heat of vaporization from surfaces in thermal contact with the liquid. A first and second heating/cooling circuit are controlled. Gas within the first heating/cooling circuit is cooled and compressed using a liquid piston. A gas is warmed within the second heating/cooling circuit, and expansion is accomplished using a liquid piston.

Disclosed techniques include energy transfer using high-pressure vessels. Liquid is pumped into a high-pressure vessel to pressurize a gas. The gas can include air. Liquid is sprayed into the high-pressure vessel to cool the gas. Heat exchange is performed to cool the liquid before spraying the liquid into the high-pressure vessel. The spraying liquid into the top and the bottom of the high-pressure vessel is accomplished using nozzles in a top portion and nozzles in a bottom portion of the high-pressure vessel. The pressurized gas is transferred into a storage reservoir. The storage reservoir can include an underground cavern or aquifer. Gas from the storage reservoir is delivered to drive a turbine to recover stored energy. The extracting gas from the storage reservoir is accomplished using an additional high-pressure vessel. Heat exchange is performed to warm the liquid before spraying the liquid into the additional high-pressure vessel.

In an example method, first electrical power is generated using one or more solar panels. Saline water is desalinated using a desalination facility powered, at least in part, by the first electrical power. The desalinated water is stored in a reservoir located at a first elevation. A usage of an electrical grid is monitored, and a determination is made that one or more criteria are satisfied at a first time. In response, the desalinated water is directed from the reservoir to a turbine generator located at a second elevation, second electrical power is generated using the turbine generator, the desalinated water is directed from the turbine generator into an aquifer located at a third elevation, and at least a portion of the second electrical power is provided to the electrical grid.

The present application pertains to systems and methods for storing and generating power. In one embodiment the system pertains to a first storage reservoir near the surface of a body of water and configured to store a fluid which has a lower density than water. A second storage reservoir is located below the surface of the body of water and configured to store a fluid which has a higher density than water. A pump, generator, and the first and second reservoir are operatively connected such that power is stored by displacing the fluid which has a higher density than water in the second storage reservoir by pumping the fluid which has a lower density than water in the first storage reservoir to the second storage reservoir. Power is generated or discharged by allowing the fluid which has a lower density than water in the second storage reservoir to return to the first storage reservoir. The fluid which has a higher density than water may be in liquid form.

Disclosed techniques include controlled liquefaction and energy management. A gas within a first pressure containment vessel is pressurized using a column of liquid. The gas that is being pressurized is cooled using a liquid spray, wherein the liquid spray is introduced into the first pressure containment vessel in a region occupied by the gas. The liquid spray keeps the pressurizing to be isothermal. The gas that was pressurized is metered into a second pressure containment vessel, wherein the metering enables liquefaction of the gas. The gas that was pressurized is stored in a gas capacitor prior to the metering. The gas that was liquefied in the second pressure containment vessel is pushed into a holding tank, wherein the holding tank stores a liquefied state of the gas, and wherein the pushing is accomplished by the pressure of the gas that was metered into the second pressure containment vessel.

A method for controlling an operating condition of an electric power grid having an intermittent power supply coupled thereto, comprising: using an energy variability controller, controlling variability of a delivered power output of the intermittent power supply to the grid by: monitoring an actual environmental value for a location proximate the intermittent power supply, an available power output of the intermittent power supply being dependent on the actual environmental value; when the actual environmental value is increasing and hence the available power output is increasing, increasing the delivered power output according to a predetermined rate of increase; monitoring a forecast environmental value for the location; when the forecast environmental value is decreasing, decreasing the delivered power output according to a predetermined rate of decrease; and, limiting the delivered power output to below a predetermined threshold. The electric power grid may be or may include an electric power microgrid.