Disclosed techniques include energy storage and management using pumping. An energy source is connected to a pump-turbine energy management system, wherein the pump-turbine energy management system includes a pump-energy storage subsystem. Energy from the energy source is stored in the pump-energy storage subsystem. One or more processors are used to calculate a valve-based flow control setting for recovering energy from the pump-energy storage subsystem. One or more valves in the pump-energy management system are energized, wherein the energizing enables energy recovery. Energy is recovered from the pump-energy storage subsystem using a pump-turbine recovery subsystem enabled by the one or more valves that were energized. Waste heat is recovered through a waste-heat recovery subsystem which includes water heat exchangers or a fluid spray. The water from the water heat exchangers can be used to make steam or ice.

A compressor, a first heat exchanger, a first heat storage unit, a pressure accumulation unit, a second heat exchanger, and a second heat storage unit are provided. The first heat storage unit and the second heat storage unit are connected by a first flow passage and a second flow passage. The first and second flow passages are connected by a third flow passage. A first on-off means is provided in a first region of the first flow passage and a second on-off means is provided in a second region. A third on-off means is provided in a third region of the second flow passage, and a fourth on-off means is provided in a fourth region. A driving means and a heating means are provided in the third flow passage.

An electricity generation system includes a pneumatic generator, an air compressor, a battery module, a control module, a gas ejection module, an output circuit, a loopback circuit, and a switch. The control module controls the battery module to supply power to the air compressor, so that the air compressor is activated to generate and store compressed air in the gas cylinder. The control module controls the gas ejection module to allow the compressed air stored in the gas cylinder to enter the pneumatic generator so that the pneumatic generator generates electrical energy. The output circuit is connected to the pneumatic generator and the device to be powered. The loopback circuit connects the pneumatic generator and the battery module. The electrical energy generated by the pneumatic generator supplies the power supply device or is stored in the battery module when the switch is turned on by the control module.

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.

An underwater energy storage system includes a tank for storing a compressed gas that is adapted to be stored underwater. The tank includes at least one water opening through which water from surrounding environment can flow into and out of the tank, and at least one gas opening through which the compressed gas is received. The underwater energy storage system further includes at least one duct communicating between the at least one opening for gas flow and a source of compressed gas and a compartment constructed over a roof of the tank, wherein said compartment is adapted for receiving weights at a sinking site of the tank.

A compressed air energy storage power generation device includes motors, compressors that compress air, an accumulator tank that accumulates compressed air, expanders to driven by the compressed air supplied from the accumulator tank, generators, and a control device that controls driving of the motors. The control device includes a power supply command receiver that receives a power supply command, a priority setting unit that sets priority to the motors so that the motor whose elapsed time from stop is shorter has higher priority, a number-of-units determination unit that determines the number of the motors to be driven on the basis of an amount of input power indicated by the power supply command, and a drive unit that drives the motors in the descending order of the priority until the number of the driven motors becomes equal to the number of motors to be driven determined by the number-of-units determination unit.

A CAES power generation device includes a plurality of compression/expansion/combined machines, a pressure accumulation unit for storing compressed air, a plurality of heat exchangers, a heat storage unit for storing a heating medium, and a plurality of first containers 10 having a rectangular parallelepiped shape for accommodating the plurality of compression/expansion/combined machines and the plurality of heat exchangers. The plurality of first containers are arranged side by side so that long side surfaces face each other. The long side surface of the first container is provided with at least one vent being an outlet of a pipe for communicating the compression/expansion/combined machine with the outside of the container. A short side surface of the first container is provided with a first takeout port for taking out an air pipe that fluidly connects the compression/expansion/combined machine and the pressure accumulation unit, and a second takeout port for taking out a heating medium pipe that fluidly connects the heat exchanger and the heat storage unit.

Solid-state energy harvesters comprising layers of metal suboxides and cerium dioxide utilizing a solid-state electrolyte to produce power and methods of making and using the same are provided. The solid-state energy harvester may have two or three electrodes per cell and produces power in the presence of water vapor and oxygen.

A compressed air energy storage generator includes a motor, a compressor, a pressure accumulator, an expander, a generator, an electric-motor inverter, a generator inverter, a feed command receiver, a discharge command receiver, and a controller. The controller includes a feed determination unit, a discharge determination unit, and an input and output adjustment unit, the feed determination unit being configured to determine whether a feed command value is smaller than minimum charge power, the discharge determination unit being configured to determine whether a discharge command value is smaller than minimum discharge power, the input and output adjustment unit being configured to control, when the feed determination unit determines that the feed command value is smaller than the minimum charge power or when the discharge determination unit determines that the discharge command value is smaller than the minimum discharge power, the inverters to simultaneously drive the motor and the generator.

The invention relates to a system for energy storage and recovery, comprising: at least one compressed-air tank, at least one pressurized-water tank in communication with the compressed-air tank, at least one turbine in effective communication with the at least one pressurized-water tank, a generator for generating electrical energy, a high-pressure pump for pumping water from a water reservoir into the pressurized-water tank. According to one aspect of the invention, the turbine in effective communication with the at least one pressurized-water tank is a reaction turbine, which is connected in series with a constant pressure turbine in such a manner that a drive shaft of the reaction turbine is connected to a drive shaft of the constant pressure turbine and a drive shaft of the generator, and the constant pressure turbine is arranged between the reaction turbine and the generator, wherein the generator includes an interface for connection to a public power grid.