Energy Storage Solution in the Bag?

Storing and reuse of renewable energy is a very important issue. The alternatives are Storage battery,storing water at high level for turbine generation. The cost, efficiency are key concern area.

thats a good idea till storage but the instead of using on wind turbines ,if it will be used on the pneumatic actuators that can give more efficiency than turbines ,

but the cost will remain an issue .

There will be loss energy due to running of compressor, and again to regenerate power by running of turbine.

Yeah, from what I've heard from the vendors for industrial air compressors, the best claim to be up to 10% efficient without heat recovery. That means that 10% of the energy you put into a compressor comes out as compressed air, the other 90% comes out as heat and noise.

It might be a better plan to have two lakes, one up on a large hill and the other at the base. To 'store' energy, you pump water from the lower lake to the upper one, to 'release' the energy, you let the water from the upper one flow through turbines and into the lower one.

Many places where demand for electricity if high lack the affordable land with the necessary change in elevation... that also happens to have, or be conducive to creating, a lake at the top, in reasonable proximity.

.

But your point is a good one. It would seem much easier to achieve high round trip efficiency if water were instead the working fluid. There are a number of ways that water could be the working fluid yet still take advantage of the head available for potentially very inexpensive storage.

Well, the two-lake system is generally mentioned because of the high quantity of water available there.

A 'Low Water Use' system might be a Water tower used as the 'upper lake,' or perhaps several water towers. Each pump would raise the water to the next resevoir up, a mere 100 feet above, and when the power is needed back, the top resevoir is opened to run a series of turbines, as many as can be used until Diminishing Returns is achieved. Each of the 'middle' towers would also have a dump valve to add their supply to the return flow if needed, each set as high on the turbine stack as feasible.

This system could also be 'closed loop,' the 'working fluid' is completely contained, so there's no loss to evaporation, and if proper Ph and 'abiotic' (poisoning) levels are maintained to prevent undue corrosion and biofilm buildup, It'll even be low-maintenance, just keep the bearings lubricated.

I don't know how much a water tower costs to buy and keep up, but it seems like it would be difficult to foot the bill by rapidly cycling through the relatively low energy storage available in the average tower; on the order of 30KWhr for 100,000 gallons with 100 ft drop.

.

But it's not just one 100 foot tower, That's just the first level, the water would be pumped into a basin above that, and into one above that, etc, etc.

Wait, that means that at a mere 15 levels, it would outclass the Sears Tower in height.

Okay, perhaps I didn't think it through completely, I was just brainstorming.

This has so many holes in it it's hard to believe anybody in his right mind would even consider it....

Just wait until the rope holding it to the bottom breaks....

The process gas used in this process will contain approximately 400 parts per million of CO2. The EPA should tax the crap out of this starting NOW.

Years ago when i was working for Sperry (Automation Industries) i had to inspect some pump bodies for a system in upstate NY. What they did was to buy electric power during the night (when it was cheaper) pump water from a small river up a hill to a reservoir and during the day( electric power was more expensive) the water flowed down to turn a turbine, make power, then sell the energy back to the system. I don't know if any of these are still in use, but the idea sounds correct.

Energy storage using compressed air is only 1 part of 2. The energy in hydraulic accumulators can help out when combined with air to power drive motors driving generators. The systems that use this method is known as Renewable Thermal Wind Power the energy power resource. Also we know that a solar heat engine combined with a cone shape vortex structure can be a on demand power plant. the public education site is www.renewablethermalwindpower.com is where to find the facts in sciences & theory of the HOW-TO combine 8 naturals & 6 man made thermal transfer systems.

A well educated person with out the common science to use the knowledge they have learned is like a person with many books but can't read.

In 1978-9 I spent some interesting time in Tell City. Are you from close to there?

Sorry been gone for a while speaking. & tied up on a nother thread , No I don't beleive so, I have only been here for 6 years. Have been in Africa on a hummanatarian mission for clean water pumping & battery charging stations. Then to Braizal for a 24 volt systems for a community living covered stainable coummuity "Way of the bettean path.

This systems Topic has waste hot air from the compressors and heat from the hydraulic systems' Hydraulic accumulator combined with others in a structure design that make it out perform any naturals to date, emerging technologies. Look it uo and see for your self, www.renewablethermalwindpower.com read the shared techonlogies from around the world research instute's.