In a main flow passage, a first heat exchanger, a first heat storage unit, a second heat exchanger, and a second heat storage unit are connected by a heating medium flow passage. The main flow passage allows a heating medium to be circulated. A sub flow passage includes a shortened flow passage which is a part of the heating medium flow passage and branches from the heating medium flow passage between the second heat exchanger and the second heat storage unit and extends to the first heat storage unit. The sub flow passage allows circulation of the heating medium between the first heat storage unit and the second heat exchanger. A first heating means in a middle of the shortened flow passage, the first heating means heating a passing heat medium, and a switching means conducting switching between the main flow passage and the sub flow passage are provided.

A CAES generator includes a plurality of motors, a plurality of compressors, a pressure accumulator, an expander, a generator, an electric-motor inverter that changes a rotation speed of each of the motors, a feed command receiver that receives input power as a feed command value before feeding the input power, and a controller. The controller includes a compressor number calculation unit that calculates a maximum number of motors that are allowed to be driven at a rating based on the feed command value, and a compressor drive control unit that drives at the rating, the motors, the number of which is the maximum number calculated by the compressor number calculation unit.

A compressed air energy storage power generation apparatus includes a power demand receiving unit that receives a power demand value of a consumer facility. The apparatus includes a first air supply valve that adjusts a flow rate of compressed air to be supplied from a low-pressure tank to an expander, a second air supply valve that adjusts a flow rate of compressed air to be supplied from a high-pressure tank to the expander, and a control device configured to open the first air supply valve according to the power demand value in a state where the second air supply valve is closed when the power demand value is less than a predetermined threshold, and to open the second air supply valve according to the power demand value when the power demand value is equal to or greater than the predetermined threshold.

A methanol synthesis plant comprising: a feed pretreating section operable to pretreat a feed stream; a synthesis gas (syngas) generation section comprising one or more reactors operable to produce a syngas synthesis product stream comprising synthesis gas from the feed stream; a methanol synthesis section comprising one or more methanol synthesis reactors operable to produce a synthesis product comprising methanol; and/or a methanol purification section operable to remove at least one component from the synthesis product to provide a purified methanol product; wherein the methanol synthesis plant is configured such that, relative to a conventional methanol synthesis plant, more of the net energy required by the methanol synthesis plant, the feed pretreating section, the syngas generation section, the methanol synthesis section, the methanol purification section, or a combination thereof, is provided by a non-carbon based energy source, a renewable energy source, and/or electricity.

A compressed air energy storage and power generation apparatus includes an electric motor, a compressor, an accumulator, an expander, a generator, and a controller, in which the compressor includes a first compressor of dynamic type and a second compressor of a positive displacement type, during charge of the apparatus, in a case where variation time of predicted variation power exceeds activation stop time of the first compressor, the controller supports a predicted variation power component by performing a unit number control of the first compressor and performing the unit number control and a rotation speed control of the second compressor, and in a case where the variation time of the predicted variation power is equal to or less than the activation stop time of the first compressor, the controller supports the predicted variation power component by performing the unit number control and the rotation speed control of the second compressor.

A system for energy storage and electricity generation is described. The system includes an energy storage system providing compressed air and an electricity generation system. The electricity generation system includes an airlift pumping system pneumatically coupled to the energy storage system. The airlift pumping system includes a water collecting tank containing collecting water and a riser tube having a base immersed in the collecting water and configured for injection of the compressed air into the riser tube through the air pipeline to provide air bubbles within the riser tube that produce an upward flow of the collecting water together with the air bubbles. The electricity generation system also includes a hydro-electric power system driven by upward flow of the collecting water together with the air bubbles to produce electricity, and a water heating system for heating the collecting water in the water collecting tank.

Systems, methods, and devices for energy storage are provided. A system for energy storage includes a thermomechanical-electrical conversion subsystem for converting energy formats and a mechanical and thermal storage unit for storing energy formats. The thermomechanical-electrical conversion subsystem includes a storage subsystem including a compressor and a first thermal energy exchanger and a generation subsystem including a power generator and a second thermal energy exchanger. The storage subsystem compresses a fluid to generate compressed fluid and thermal energy. The generation subsystem generates power from the compressed fluid and the thermal energy. The mechanical and thermal storage unit includes a pressure vessel for storing the compressed fluid and a thermal energy storage for storing the thermal energy generated by the fluid compression and for providing the thermal energy to the generation subsystem for generating power.

Disclosed techniques include energy management based on modularized energy control using pooling. Operating data is obtained from a plurality of energy modules within an energy storage system. The plurality of energy modules is pooled. One or more operating goals are obtained for the plurality of energy modules. The operating goals can be based on cost, availability, or energy module status. One or more processors are used to analyze the operating data, the one or more operating goals, energy demand, and energy module operating health. The operation of one or more of the plurality of energy modules is controlled based on the analysis. The energy modules can be a pooled homogeneous bank of energy modules. The homogeneous banks can be pooled into heterogeneous energy modules. The pools can include dynamically added energy module peers.

A system for energy storage and electricity generation is described. The system includes an energy storage subsystem and an electricity generation subsystem coupled to the energy storage subsystem. The energy storage subsystem is configured to store energy in the form of compressed air at a temperature greater than a temperature of ambient air in the atmosphere. The electricity generation subsystem includes an airlift pumping system and a hydro-electric power system driven by the airlift pumping system, and is configured to produce electricity by utilizing the compressed air stored in the energy storage subsystem at the temperature greater than the temperature of ambient air in the atmosphere.

A system for energy storage and electricity generation is described. The system includes an energy storage subsystem and an electricity generation subsystem coupled to the energy storage subsystem. The energy storage subsystem is configured to store energy in the form of compressed air at a temperature greater than a temperature of ambient air in the atmosphere. The electricity generation subsystem is configured to produce electricity by utilizing the compressed air stored in the energy storage subsystem at the temperature greater than the temperature of ambient air in the atmosphere.