Method and apparatus for solar energy storage system using gas and rock

Abstract

A method and Apparatus for solar energy storage system uses gas for thermal transport for central tower solar thermal electric power plant to provide high quality, low cost, and continuously electric power generation. The storage contains a number of storage modules that each module can store energy for a given period of time. The thermal energy from central tower charges the modules one by one during the sunny time, while the thermal electric power plant discharge the modules one by one as long as it works. A control and a connection valve system control and connect the charge and discharge modules with the central tower and the power plant according to pre-arranged sequences. Fans at the cool side of the storage system push the circulation gas into the central tower or the thermal storage modules. In the discharge system, the hot gas from storage system is send to the heat exchange system, and to generate steam and to super heat steam for the power plant. In the charge system, the cold gas is pushed into the central receiver thermal exchange unit and to be heated, and the hot gas is then circulated back to storage system to charge up the storage system.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0001]1. Field of the Invention[0002]This invention generally relates to solar thermal energy storage by using rock or other type of solid storage media and use gas, liquid metal, and steam as the thermal transfer media.[0003]2. Description of Prior Art[0004]The differences between the nature characters of the solar energy and power grid requirement require thermal storage to buffer and temperature store energy. The nature characters of the solar energy are not service on demand while the power grid requires backbone power plant supply electricity to the grid must be service on demand. The solution for meeting the service on demand requirements is the thermal energy storage system.[0005]The thermal energy storage system stores the excessive thermal energy to thermal storage during sunshine time and less electric demanding time, and release the stored thermal energy when the power plant is demanding.[0006]In additional to meet the requirement of service on ...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0014]A method and Apparatus for solar energy storage system uses gas for thermal transport and uses rock for thermal storage medium for central tower solar thermal electric power plant to provide high quality, low cost, and continuously electric power generation.

Problems solved by technology

None of them can meet the large-scale power grid storage requirements for low cost, less location dependency, high reliability, high efficiency, and environment friendly.

The lead acid battery is not economical for power gird energy storage plus the short lifetime and un-friendly to natural environment.

Flywheel has limited capacity, cost, and reliability issue when apply to large-scale grid power storage.

Pumped water hydro power plant is the most practical way for large grid scale energy storage, but the availability of suitable land for power plant is very limited.

Direct steam storage is simple, but it is limited by the capacity when come to grid scale power plant.

But it faces several major disadvantages, such as low maximum temperature or high freezes temperature, corrosive nature, high power requirement for circulations, and expensive storage medium.

Oil, or oil and rock, or molten salt and rock methods are suffered from limitation on higher temperature, pollutions, and high cost on heat transport medium.

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