An energy storage system

Abstract

The invention provides a storage system for storing large amounts of energy. The storage system compensates for fluctuations in power consumption in an electrical power supply grid, and it may be useful e.g. in combination with various sources of renewable energy. The system comprises a reservoir, a load, and an energy conversion structure. The load provides a bias-force on the reservoir and thereby biases the reservoir towards a configuration with a smaller volume. When surplus electrical power is available, a turbine or similar energy conversion structure can work against the load by pumping water into the reservoir. At a later point in time, the conversion structure may regenerate electrical power based on flow energy when the fluid is released from the reservoir under pressure from the bias-force from the load.

Description

technical field [0001] The invention relates to an energy storage system for storing energy. In particular, the invention relates to systems capable of storing large amounts of energy at fixed locations. The invention further relates to methods of compensating for fluctuations in power supply and methods of preventing subterranean areas from being flooded. Background technique [0002] The ability to store large amounts of energy is required not only because of the increased use of renewable energy sources such as solar, water or wind power, or because of the use of power plants that operate most efficiently and have a constant output or provide power outputs that cannot be adjusted very quickly. In such power supply systems, or grids, fluctuations in demand for electricity lead to an urgent need to store excess energy for later use. [0003] Batteries and other chemical energy storage systems generally face the dilemma of being too expensive and space-consuming for the en...

AI Technical Summary

Problems solved by technology

However, this solution requires a specially configured terrain, preferably near a lake or seashore, and the required height difference is not always achievable

Also, water leaking from higher locations, and not just salt water or otherwise contaminated water, can wreak havoc on groundwater

Furthermore, known pumped energy storage is usually designed for the largest possible energy storage capacity, due to the considerable cost of subsequent expansion

One reason is that, for example, the basin and piping cannot be replaced without taking the energy storage system out of operation for a long period of time

As a result, turbines, pumps, piping, motors, and generators are often specified for specific energy storage locations, often requiring costly custom designs for each energy storage plant

Known pumped energy storage systems are therefore too costly to implement as power backup systems for very large scale power systems

[0005] In general, known systems are of limited size and have so far only been used to store very small amounts of energy, especially compared to the energy storage capacity required to compensate e.g. nationwide grid fluctuations

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