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 subterranean energy storage system configured to store and subsequently release potential energy. Storage of potential energy is achieved by the transfer of a pseudo fluid from a first storage tank to a second storage tank located above the first storage tank, and is subsequently released by the transfer of the pseudo fluid from the second storage tank to the first storage tank. To transfer the pseudo fluid between the first and second storage tanks, the subterranean energy storage system comprises at least one continuous conveyor mechanism extending through at least one transport shaft, wherein the at least one continuous conveyor mechanism comprises a plurality of vessels arranged along a length of the continuous conveyor mechanism. The subterranean energy storage system further comprises an energy transfer means operably connected to the at least one continuous conveyor mechanism to transfer power to and from the subterranean energy storage system.

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.

A system for storing and generating power is disclosed. The system comprises a first storage reservoir configured to store a first fluid, a second storage reservoir located at a lower elevation than the first storage reservoir and configured to store a second fluid wherein said second fluid has a higher density than the first fluid, and a pump. In some embodiments a generator may be employed. The pump and the first and the second reservoir are operatively connected such that power is stored by displacing the second fluid in the second storage reservoir by pumping the first fluid from the first storage reservoir to the second storage reservoir and such that power is generated by allowing the pumped first fluid in the second storage reservoir to exit the second reservoir. The first fluid is generally a liquid.

This invention relates to hydraulic energy storage and management systems. In particular, this invention relates to a hydraulic energy management system that has a reconfigurable energy storage and release capability that adjusts to varying available energy input and power demand output requirements. The hydraulic energy management system can be resized by a hydraulic bridge circuit to permit hydraulic power units to be added or removed, both physically and operationally, to capture available energy over time, adjust to peak demand cycles, and maintain power output in the event of a failure of a portion of the system.

Disclosed is an apparatus that adapts the rate of its computational work to match the availability of energy harvested from a stochastic energy source; and, with respect to some types of energy harvesting, regulates the rate of energy capture, the rate of energy conversion, and the rate of consumption of stored potential energy, through its alteration, regulation, and/or adjustment, of that same computational work load.

An underwater energy storage system comprising a container where energy is stored by transporting water between the container and a body of water, is disclosed. 5 The container comprises a water- and gas-tight membrane surrounding a container volume, where the container is rendered mainly incompressible by a fill material comprising densely packed, incompressible objects arranged in the container volume, the fill material forming a mainly incompressible aggregate.

The method according to the invention relates to the storage of energy in the form of a compressed fluid which is pumped into a container (2) arranged below a water surface (4) to store the energy, wherein the fluid entering the container displaces an existing content, comprising water, from the container and into the surrounding water, and compressed fluid is removed from the container (2) to remove energy, wherein surrounding water flows back into the container according to the volume of the removed, compressed fluid, characterized in that the container (2) is provided with flexible walls at least in some parts and is arranged on a seabed (6) or lake bed (6) and there is covered by ballast (15) such that it is pressed against the substrate even when completely filled with compressed fluid.

An integrated hybrid energy recovery and storage system for recovering and storing energy from multiple energy sources is disclosed. The system includes an accumulator unit having a high pressure accumulator and a low pressure accumulator. At least one piston is mounted for reciprocation in the high pressure accumulator. The accumulator unit is configured to receive, store, and transfer energy from the hydraulic fluid to the energy storage media. The system further includes two or more rotational directional control valves, in which at least one rotational directional control valve is positioned on each side of the accumulator unit. Each rotational directional control valve includes multiple ports. The system also includes two or more variable displacement hydraulic rotational units. At least one variable displacement hydraulic rotational unit is positioned adjacent each of the rotational directional control valves.

An energy storage system includes at least one heterogeneous pressure media and interactive actuation module (“module”), a liquid source, a pump, a converter, a first pipeline, and a second pipeline. The module includes a first container storing an initial gas and a second container storing an initial liquid. The liquid source stores a working liquid. The pump regulates the working liquid from the liquid source into the module. The initial liquid is driven by the working liquid to continuously compress the initial gas so that the first container stores a first pressure energy, and the initial gas is continuously expanded to drive the initial liquid to convert the first pressure energy into a second pressure energy. The second pressure energy through the first pipe drives the converter to generate an electrical energy, and the working liquid after driving the converter is returned to the liquid source through the second pipeline.