An energy storage system is provided. The system comprises an energy storage device comprising: a pressure vessel configured to store pressurised fluid; and one or more resilient elements, wherein the resilient elements comprise a plurality of filaments of resilient material braided to form the resilient elements, wherein the resilient elements are arranged within or about the pressure vessel, and wherein the energy storage device is configured such that storing pressurised fluid within the pressure vessel acts to tension or compress the resilient elements.

A compressed-air-storing power generation apparatus 1 comprises a plurality of compression/expansion devices 14 having a function of producing compressed air using electric power and a function of generating electricity using compressed air, an accumulator 10 that is fluidly connected to the plurality of compression/expansion devices 14 and that accumulates compressed air, and a control apparatus 16 that stops first compression/expansion devices 14 which are being driven and drives second compression/expansion devices 14 which have stopped when a charge/discharge command value to switch between charging and discharging is generated.

A compressed air generation system that provides compressed air for a variety of applications including generation of electricity. The a system for accumulating and storing compressed air that is later used for a variety of applications including energy generation. The system uses mechanical air pumps that are activated when vehicles, including cars and buses, pass over air pumps imbedded in the road surface. Alternative embodiments use air compression pumps to store compressed air when the moving vehicles, such as trains, pass over railroad ties. The compressed air is fed into air accumulators that are used to produce clean electrical energy.

One variation of a method for deploying a nuclear reactor system includes: constructing a tunnel at a particular location; and installing the nuclear reactor, loaded with a first core assembly, within the tunnel. The method further includes, during an operating period: in response to detecting a high-energy demand period: triggering operation of the nuclear reactor at a first capacity, directing a first portion of energy output to a charging station for charging electric vehicles, and directing a second portion, less than the first portion, of energy output to a gas sequestration subsystem; and, in response to detecting a low-energy demand period, triggering operation of the nuclear reactor at a second capacity less than the first capacity, directing a third portion of energy, less than the first portion, output to the charging station, and directing a fourth portion of energy, exceeding the second portion, output to the gas sequestration subsystem.

Disclosed techniques include energy storage and buffering using multiple pressure containers. Liquid and gas are pumped into a subterranean container. The liquid and gas are pressurized in the subterranean container. A pump is coupled to the subterranean container to accomplish the pressurizing of the subterranean container. The pump and the subterranean container are coupled to an above-ground pressure vessel. The above-ground pressure vessel is pressurized using the pump. The above-ground pressure vessel receives excess flow from the pump beyond the flow provided to the subterranean container. The above-ground pressure vessel provides buffering for pressure flowing into or out of the subterranean container. The gas includes air and the liquid includes water. Pressure is extracted from the first subterranean container to drive a turbine. The pressure from the above-ground pressure vessel supplements pressure from the subterranean container to drive the turbine at a substantially constant rate.

A power drive for a passenger and/or cargo elevator—or any conveyance-using stored high pressure compressed air as a primary source, producing high pressure hydraulic fluid energy to move a servo-controlled hydraulic motor, mechanically connected to the hoisting mechanism of the elevator, is disclosed. The electric power driving the air compressor is not affected by the load of the elevator (e.g. number of passengers). The electric current is consumed to charge a high pressure air tank. The compressor is operated only when the elevator is in in a parked position, thus electric power consumption level is by no means correlated to the operational mode of the elevator motion.

This disclosure describes novel hybrid energy storage systems for providing short-term and long-term storage and delivery of electricity generated by any energy source including renewable energy sources such as solar energy and wind energy. The hybrid energy storage systems described herein have a higher overall real-world efficiency than energy storage systems currently available.

An energy production system including a hydraulic turbine system having undesirable electrical power output setpoints and identified safe electrical power output setpoints, an energy storage system, a connection connected to the energy storage system and to an electric machine of the hydraulic turbine system, and further connected to an AC power network, a device for determining the state of charge, a control circuit controlling a transfer of electrical power between the connection and the energy storage system, configured to receive an electrical power setpoint value (Reps) and configured to determine that this received electrical power setpoint value belongs to the undesirable electrical power output setpoint values to generate an electrical power transfer setpoint value (Epts), and an actual electrical power output setpoint value (Aepos) belonging to the safe electrical power output setpoint values, satisfying the relationship Reps=Epts+Aepos.

A system for power conversion and energy storage is described. In an embodiment the system comprise a DC rotating electrical machine (1) comprising a DC rotor; an AC rotating electrical machine (2) comprising an AC rotor; and a (thermo-) mechanical energy storage system (known as a TMESS) (3). The TMESS comprises a central shaft, said central shaft charged and discharged with shaft power and selectively mechanically coupled to the DC rotor and to the AC rotor via clutch (4) to form a shaft train. Some source of DC generation such as photovoltaic cells (5) feeds electrical power into the DC electrical machine (1). There may also be local DC loads (8) supported by the system. The AC electrical machine (2) may deliver power to local AC loads (6), or draw power from the AC electrical grid (7).

Automatic wind and photovoltaic energy storage system for generation of uninterrupted electricity and energy autonomy, characterized in that it consists of wind machines (A) and photovoltaic generators (B) combined or independent which operate mechanically or electrically connected suitable compressors (Γ1, Γ2, Γ3, Γ4) that compress air at high pressure while simultaneously removing the heat generated by compression with small heat exchangers (E1, E2, E3, E4), by heating diathermic cooling oil and water stored in separate insulated tanks (H1, H2, H3, Z2) they drive it to an airtight tank-serpentine coil type tank (M), where it exits and after passing through the air flow distributor in each group of high pressure crosses the groups of heat exchangers (θ1) in which the flow flows backwards cooling oil, where its thermal charge is transferred and heats the compressed air before entering the gas turbine and expands to a certain pressure lower and temperature lower the original T2. At this point the compressed air flows coming out of the turbine and reheats in the same way as in the first re-heat, that is, by crossing another set of heat exchangers (02) similar to the first one, but at a lower pressure and re-introducing at the same pressure it exited but at the same temperature as the original Ti. To expanding again to a given pressure corresponding to the next stage according to the thermodynamic analysis. The expansion continues with the intermediate reheats according to the specified stages of the thermodynamic analysis, until after the last reheat in the last stage, inject the quantity of water vapor (steam) stored in a separate insulated tank (Z2) into the flow of compressed air expanding the common fluid (compressed air plus steam) at the same pressure and temperature into the turbine (K), achieving approximately a 20% increase in the overall turbine (K) efficiency. The turbine is equipped, by means of a rotary shaft rotary controller, to be able to modulate the supply of compressed air to the turbine head (K). And since the mass flow rate of compressed air is directly proportional to the electricity produced, the generation of electricity produced is identical to the demand Automatic wind and photovoltaic energy storage system for generation of uninterrupted electricity and energy autonomy, characterized in that it consists of wind machines (A) and photovoltaic generators (B) combined or independent which operate mechanically or electrically connected suitable compressors (IT, Γ2,Γ3,Γ4) that compress air at high pressure while simultaneously removi