AT17687U1 - Methods for generating and storing energy - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for generating and storing energy, in which a storage power plant and at least one system for generating renewable energy, in particular in the form of a photovoltaic system (9), wind power plant, tidal power plant, hydroelectric power plant, are locally combined and the renewable energy generated is at least partially used for this purpose in order to convey a medium of the storage power plant from a lower level to a higher level or at least one of the storage volumes (V1, V2) of a storage power plant is increased during ongoing operation, this being due to mass movements resulting from mining, landfill creation and/or landscaping he follows.

Description

description

The invention relates to a method for generating and storing energy.

The invention relates to resource and energy management and enables an almost emission-free increase or multiplication of power plant outputs and amounts of energy through the use of renewable energies at suitable locations.

With a suitable configuration, the method can be used both for existing hydroelectric power plants and for planned storage facilities, plants and buildings.

According to the prior art, storage power plants and pumped storage power plants are known. A storage power plant (Fig. 1) uses the potential energy of an upper reservoir 2 at a defined height above the generator house 1. The stored amount of water or fluid reaches the generator in the generator house 1 via downpipes 4 and converts the potential energy into electrical energy. After the generator house 1, the water or fluid flowing through is usually discharged into a receiving water body. The electrical energy is routed to the respective consumers via a line network 5 .

The performance of the power plant is determined by the available storage volume V1 in the upper reservoir, the resulting flow rate Q' and the difference in height dH. The flow rate Q' is a function of the volume V1. The power P of the power plant is a function of the flow rate Q' and the height difference dH.

However, such a power plant is largely dependent on the natural inflowing amount of water and thus directly on the weather.

A pumped storage power plant (Fig. 2) uses the potential energy of an upper reservoir 2 at a defined height above the generator house 1. The stored amount of water or fluid reaches the generator in the generator house 1 via downpipes 4 and converts the potential energy into electrical energy . The water or fluid flowing through is collected in a lower reservoir 3 after the power plant house or generator house 1 and partially discharged into an outfall.

In contrast to the conventional storage power plant, excess energy 8, which can be obtained via the mains 5, is used in this system to transport water or fluid via a pumping station 6 and a riser 7 back to the higher energy level of the upper reservoir 2. This makes it possible to increase the amount of storage or the storage volume for later demand-oriented energy generation.

The electrical energy is routed via a line network 5 to the respective consumers.

The extended output of the pumped storage power plant is largely determined by the time available and cost-covering amount of Usurplus energy 8 from the mains 5, the storage amount V1 in the upper reservoir 2 and also by the difference in height difference dH and the extended flow rate Q'.

Significant increases in power plant performance can already be realized with this system.

The disadvantage is that, particularly at times when the energy requirement is naturally higher (e.g. the winter months), cost-effective excess energy 8 is only available in limited quantities and in variable quantities. In addition, part of this excess energy 8 still comes from power plants that are operated with coal, oil, natural gas or nuclear energy.

The object of the invention is to improve the existing technology of storage power plants.

In a first embodiment of a method for energy generation and storage, it is proposed that a storage power plant and at least one system for generating renewable energy, in particular in the form of a photovoltaic system, wind power

Location, tidal power plant, hydroelectric power plant are locally combined and the renewable energy generated is at least partially used to transport a medium of the storage power plant from a lower level to a higher level.

The higher level can be present on a building.

The higher level can be present on an artificial or natural terrain elevation.

At least one storage volume of the storage power plant can preferably be increased by mass movements resulting from mining, landfill creation and/or landscaping.

The storage power plant is preferably self-sufficiently supplied by the local plant for generating renewable energy. Preferably, the storage power plant and the local plant for generating renewable energy can supply local consumers, such as industrial plants, households or, in particular, a mining plant with energy independently.

Preferably, the energy supply from the plant for generating renewable energy can be discontinuous and/or with fluctuating output, and a current energy requirement that exceeds the current output of the plant for generating renewable energy can be compensated for by the storage power plant by the transport of the Medium of the storage power plant from the higher altitude to the lower altitude released energy is converted into electrical energy.

In a second embodiment variant, a method for generating and storing energy is proposed, comprising a storage power plant in which a medium of the storage power plant is conveyed from a lower level to a higher level for energy storage and which has an upper storage volume and a lower storage volume for the medium wherein at least one of the storage volumes is increased during operation, this being done by mass movements resulting from mining, landfill creation and/or landscaping.

[0015] The storage power plant and a plant for generating renewable energy, in particular in the form of a photovoltaic plant, wind power plant, tidal power plant, or hydroelectric power plant, are preferably combined locally and the renewable energy generated is at least partially used to raise a medium of the storage power plant from a lower altitude to move to a higher level.

The system for generating renewable energy is preferably continuously expanded in order to adapt the renewable energy provided to the increased storage volume.

Preferably, at least one, preferably both, of the original storage volumes, which already exist when the storage power plant is erected or commissioned, is formed by a volume that was created by mining, i.e. at least one by material removal and/or embankment in the course of mining activity raw material.

After the storage power plant has been put into operation, at least one of the original storage volumes is preferably expanded by further volumes that are created by mining, i.e. by removal of material and/or heaping up in the course of mining activity of at least one raw material, with this preferably taking place continuously or at least several times at time intervals .

It is the subject method to a method that combines existing technology in a new combination and mode of operation at suitable locations. This results in a variety of synergies that promote and enable energy production and resource conservation for the future.

In one embodiment, the method includes the synergetic combination of mass movements (mining, landfills, landscaping) for the purpose of providing increased storage volumes for subsequent energy production.

In one embodiment, the method includes the direct integration of renewable energy sources (production and use of renewable energy from photovoltaic systems

gen, wind turbines and/or hydroelectric power plants) in a largely closed system circuit for generating electrical energy.

In one embodiment, the method includes increasing the achievable power plant output by continuously expanding areas (photovoltaic) and / or by continuously increasing the number of systems (wind power, hydropower) to increase the harvest of renewable energy. In one embodiment, the method includes the conservation and increased efficiency of the natural resources used (mineral and non-mineral raw materials, water, waste) through technical methods (landscaping, mass movements).

Figures 1 and 2 illustrate the prior art.

Exemplary preferred embodiment variants of the method in question are illustrated with reference to FIGS. 3-8.

[0025] FIG. 3: illustrates the increase in output of a power plant by increasing the storage volume.

[0026] FIG. 4: illustrates the increase in output of a power plant through solar energy.

[0027] FIG. 5: illustrates the further increase in performance of a power plant through solar energy.

[0028] FIG. 6: illustrates the use of the subject method on buildings with sufficient structural height.

Fig. 7: illustrates the energy supply of municipalities.

Figure 8: illustrates energy production with other media.

As illustrated in FIG. 3, the performance of a power plant can be increased by increasing the storage volume.

The power plant output can be increased in that the available volume for storing water or a fluid is increased, in particular in the upper reservoir 2 as well as in the lower reservoir 3 .

This volume can be increased, taking into account the geomorphological site conditions, by raising dams or edge dams or by further deepening an existing reservoir 2, 3 in the geological subsoil.

According to the invention, these enlargements V3, V4 are achieved in that integrated or adjacent raw material extraction and/or terrain designs/landfills in the area of existing or planned storage reservoirs and power plants are designed in such a way that the resulting cavities and additional volumes for a parallel or subsequent Storage of water or a fluid can be used.

[0035] The volume can be increased in particular by mining deepening and/or dam elevations. The storage basins are preferably enlarged continuously and/or while the power plant is in operation.

The enlargement can take place both laterally and vertically, with a vertical deepening optionally downpipes 4 or risers 7 must be performed to the lowest / highest point of the respective reservoir.

The arrangement of additional storage volumes can, depending on the local conditions, be directly adjacent, separated by intermediate dams (cascade or pearl-like) or spatially separated with appropriate connecting lines.

Another potential for increasing the storage volume is that overburden materials (mountains, waste rock), excavated earth, construction waste and others

Substances that are currently being dumped or disposed of in landfills with considerable energy expenditure, can be usefully used for the production of dams, walls, reinforcements or lamination (landscape appearance) of dams and the like. Existing or planned landfills can also be designed geometrically in such a way that storage spaces are created that can be used for subsequent energy use.

The main advantage of increasing the output by increasing the storage volume is that naturally inflowing water and excess energy 8 can be stored to a greater extent and for a longer period of time, so that on the one hand the power plant output can be increased by the higher flow Q' and on the other hand by the larger storage periods with increased energy demand or lower amount of excess energy 8 from the network can be bridged longer.

By increasing the storage volume, the number or cross-sections of the downpipes can be increased and the flow rate/time unit Q can be increased proportionally. By increasing the storage volume, more excess energy can be used for storage, since more medium or mass can be accommodated in the upper storage. In addition, by enlarging the lower reservoir or lower reservoir 3, the volume can be increased which can be moved up to the upper reservoir for renewed storage.

From the author's point of view, both existing and planned storage power plants and pumped storage power plants can be significantly increased in terms of their efficiency and output through targeted spatial, technical, economic and temporal bundling of technical possibilities of raw materials management, waste management and energy management.

The advantageous combination of the technical possibilities of the energy industry and the technical possibilities of mining and/or waste management thus results in an improvement in the form of an increase in the storage volumes of storage power plants, in particular pumped storage power plants, whereby this, unlike in the prior art, not only during the construction of the power plant, but an ongoing increase during the operation of the power plant is possible.

Figure 4 illustrates the increase in power of a power plant through solar energy.

With reference to the above statements, the power plant output can be further increased if supplementing or substituting (alternatively or additively) for feeding excess energy 8 from the grid renewable energy is used on site to operate the pumping station 6. The renewable energy, which is obtained via photovoltaic systems 9 or at suitable locations via wind power and/or water power, is used to raise water or fluid via a pumping station 6 .

By adding the photovoltaic system 9, about 12-14% of the gross amount of energy that is brought from the sun to the surface of the earth can be harvested in the form of electrical energy under suitable lighting conditions (sun exposure) according to the currently available technical level. This means that the power of the pumping station 6 can be controlled via the available and directly obtained solar energy.

This in turn means that with an increasing amount of energy, which is obtained in a largely climate-neutral manner from the areas A1 of the photovoltaic systems 9, the amount of water or amount of fluid Q" recirculated to the upper reservoir 2 can be significantly increased.

With the increased recirculation rate, the flow rate Q' and thus the power plant output can be increased approximately linearly in times of need.

The recoverable electrical energy (direct current) from the photovoltaic system 9 depends primarily on the size or area A1 of the sun-oriented collectors of the photovoltaic system 9 from. As a result, the angle of incidence and the availability of sunlight are other important factors in the harvesting of solar energy.

A major advantage of photovoltaic systems is, in addition to the largely climate-neutral mode of operation (emissions occur to a small extent during the manufacture of the

gen), based on the fact that sunlight is also available in sufficient quantities during those times of the year (winter) when, firstly, the natural inflow of water into storage basins is lower and, secondly, the energy requirement is inevitably higher due to the low temperatures. By adjusting the inclination of the collectors, similar amounts of energy can be harvested in winter when the sun is low as in the other seasons.

As an essential and important finding, it is summarized that the electrical energy that can be obtained from the photovoltaic system 9 is ultimately a direct function of the available area for the installation of solar panels. Of course, the energy (alternating current) obtained and converted from the photovoltaic system 9 via solar inverters or via generators operated with direct current can also be routed directly and as required via the line network 5 to the consumers.

Fig. 5 illustrates the further increase in performance of a power plant through solar energy.

With reference to the above statements, the power plant output can be increased if the area of the photovoltaic system 9 is further increased.

By increasing the solar harvest (or wind energy, hydroelectric power), a state can be achieved which, in combination with the available storage basins 2 and 3, enables detachment/decoupling from the supply of excess energy 8 supplied externally via the mains 5.

As the collector area A1 to An increases, the amount of water Q" fed to the upper reservoir 2 in a unit of time with harvested solar energy can be increased indefinitely until a spatial limit of the area availability A1 to An for solar collectors is reached.

[0055] With the help of the harvested solar energy, which may also continue to be supported by wind energy, hydropower or excess energy 8 from the mains 5, the water quantity or fluid quantity Q" returned to the higher energy level of the upper reservoir 2 according to the area A1 to An of the photovoltaic system 9 are multiplied linearly over the amount of energy harvested until the maximum storage volume is reached.

Conversely, this also means that the flow rate Q′ flowing downwards from the upper reservoir 2 to the power plant or generator house 1 in a unit of time can be increased as desired within the scope of the above area and volume limits.

[0057] This is comparable to an hourglass, which gains storage capacity by increasing its volume and can be turned faster and more often by the supplied and regenerative solar energy. The flow rates Q" and Q' of sand in the hourglass can also be continuously increased in the course of this increased number of turns by increasing the flow constriction, which leads to higher energy production.

[0058] Furthermore, this system of solar energy-assisted circulation also enables such power plants to be operated without natural inflow and without outflow into a receiving watercourse.

The required for the storage and for the generation of energy once stored and subsequently circulating amount of water or fluid, which is essentially through the storage volumes V1, V2, V3, V4 ... . Vn is determined, can be cycled between the upper and lower energy levels almost infinitely often. Only unavoidable losses from evaporation and other leaks in the system have to be compensated for.

In summary, this means:

- The power plant output can be increased linearly through the continuous addition of solar collectors (photovoltaics) via the associated possibility of increasing the circulating water quantities or fluid quantities &', Q”" up to the limits of the surface availability for solar collectors.

- Apart from the first required storage filling and the unavoidable losses from evaporation and leaks during operation, pumped storage operation can be decoupled and thus independent of ongoing withdrawals from natural waters in a closed circuit.

- Such circulatory solutions can be implemented wherever differences in height (potentials) are naturally present or created artificially/technically and where sunlight is available. These conditions are

- Except during the seasonal dark periods north and south of the respective polar circles - given everywhere on the planet.

In addition to the already presented system of energy generation from the combination of storage tanks, potential difference, volume flow and generation of electricity in a hydroelectric power plant, the present method can also be used in other contexts.

[0062] FIG. 6 illustrates the use of the subject method on buildings with sufficient structural height.

Since an essential factor for determining the power plant output is the potential difference or difference in height between the upper reservoir and the generator located on the lower base, high-rise buildings, towers and skyscrapers are ideal for installing this system.

The upper building parts of structurally suitable and sufficiently high buildings can be used as water reservoirs or upper reservoirs 2 . The generator house 1 and the pumping station 6 are ideally relocated to the building underground or to the basement of the structure.

The downpipes 4 and risers 7 between the upper reservoir 2 and the lower reservoir 3 are routed inside the building or on the outside. A sub-basin 3 for receiving the fluid or water already used to generate energy is created in the building underground or in front of the building.

A variable increase in the solar area and the associated energy generation can be carried out using the present method via photovoltaic areas that are attached to building facades, building roofs, parking spaces or other surrounding areas.

A direct feed of solar energy via the photovoltaic surfaces into the building itself or into the surrounding power grid is possible in parallel, independently of the closed loop operation in the present process.

The generator output or the power plant output is also determined here in analogy to the design variants of Figs the areas available for solar harvesting can be controlled within the limits already described.

With this system in connection with tall buildings, towers and skyscrapers, an energy supply is possible that opens up possibilities for energy generation and energy storage, especially in urban areas, which are moving in the direction of an increasingly independent, self-sufficient supply of buildings or parts of cities.

In addition, this system supports a type of construction that reduces land consumption, particularly in densely populated areas, since the amount of energy that can be gained increases linearly with the height of buildings and structures. Furthermore, water surfaces, water channels in urban areas as well as in and on buildings can represent valuable design elements and facilities that are helpful in terms of microclimate.

Figure 7 illustrates the power supply to municipalities.

Municipalities (cities, villages, settlements) can independently generate energy using the present method and store or use it as needed.

Prerequisites for this system are, in analogy to the above explanations, a potential difference (dH=height difference), a sufficiently dimensioned upper reservoir 2, a sufficiently dimensioned lower reservoir 3, downpipes 4, risers 7, power plant or generator house 1 and pumping station 6 as well as sufficient and spatial Conveniently located areas for housing the photovoltaic system 9.

Depending on the dimensioning of the different components, this system can make municipalities largely independent of external energy supplies.

Figure 8 illustrates energy production with other media.

In areas where no water or other liquid transport media are available (deserts, dry areas), energy production and energy storage can be done in such a way that quasi-flowable, non-cohesive media (sand, grit, stones, granules ...) about Conveyor belts 10 in combination with photovoltaic systems 9 simulate the system already described.

The conveyor belts 10 assume the function of the pipelines. Funnel-like reservoirs, which are filled with the respective transport medium, serve as the upper and lower reservoirs.

Prerequisites for this system are, in analogy to the above statements, a potential difference (dH=height difference), a sufficiently dimensioned upper reservoir (hopper 11), a sufficiently dimensioned lower reservoir (hopper 12), conveyor belts 10 for the movement or the flow of the medium, generator 13 and motor 14 as well as sufficient and spatially favorable areas for accommodating the photovoltaic system 9.

This system can be used, for example, in mining operations, industrial operations, etc., which require an emission-free energy supply in desert areas or in dry areas far from an adequate water supply.

The system supplies at least one local consumer 15, for example selected from the engine, heating, cooling, lighting.

The mode of operation is comparable to that of a pumped storage power plant. Instead of water or fluid, flowable, non-cohesive materials (sand, chippings, stones, granules...) serve as a transport medium and as a storage medium for the demand-oriented generation and use of energy. Due to the usually higher density of these media, the energy yield increases in fall operation, which, in return, also requires higher energy inputs for lifting to the upper energy level.

This increased supply energy can in turn be provided via the area of the collectors (photovoltaics) or via the number of wind turbines or other alternative local energy sources.

One possible mode of operation is that during the day when the sun is shining, material is conveyed to a higher level and stored there via the ascending conveyor belt 10 from the lower funnel 12 using solar energy (photovoltaics, possibly supported by wind energy).

For power supply at night or in unfavorable weather conditions, the upper storage or funnel 11 is emptied as needed and regeneratively braked via the falling conveyor belt 10 and a power generator 13 integrated therein. Energy is generated via the power plant formula. The technical design can be variable. Natural height differences (land use) can be used to build up the height difference, or artificial structures (tower-like structures, silos, half-timbered structures, etc.) can be produced.

The method according to the invention can be used to increase the output of existing storage power plants.

Existing storage power plants can use the present method

Their performance can be increased if photovoltaic systems are installed on sufficiently dimensioned and conveniently located areas, which support pumped storage operation with the help of emission-free solar energy.

The mode of operation is identical to that which has been described for FIGS. 3-5.

In order to increase performance, it may be necessary to provide higher generator performance and to produce additional connecting lines (pipes, tunnels...) between the energy levels.

The method according to the invention can be applied not only to storage power plants, but also to other existing or planned power plants (solar power plants, wind power plants), so that they can be operated as an on-site system. For example, existing solar power plants and wind power plants can temporarily store their excess energy by adding large water, fluid or media storage (sand, stones...) in appropriate volumes (V, dH). The local and spatial linking of the power plant and the storage facility will create further synergies.

The present method uses already known technologies and methods that have proven themselves in practice and can be regarded as state of the art.

The main difference as well as the advantages of the present method compared to the technologies used up to now and known to the author are that with the help and with the integration of largely unrestricted and reliably available alternative energy (photovoltaic, wind energy, water energy), a circulatory system can be created , which, under suitable site conditions (difference in height, storage volume, solar radiation) and independent of external, artificial energy supply, develops significant and reliable energy potential.

In an analogous way of thinking, gravitational forms of energy (tidal power plants) can also be integrated into the process.

In the holistic view, the subject process imitates the natural cycles in nature.

In the natural water cycle of the atmosphere, as a result of the supply of solar energy, huge mass movements in the circulatory system occur every day between rising evaporation, condensation in the atmosphere, precipitation from the atmosphere, moisture penetration and formation of water bodies and finally returning to the system of evaporation.

With the present method, this system is imitated and constructively reproduced insofar as the partial area of evaporation, condensation and precipitation of the natural circulatory system is artificially abbreviated in the cycle.

Through the use of photovoltaic systems, which can also be supported by other regenerative energy sources (wind power, hydropower, tidal forces...), water that has reached a higher energy potential in the natural cycle through evaporation is replenished via pumping stations and pipelines brought a higher energy level.

There are only about 12%-14% of the gross input energy of the sun available as a solar harvest for the circulation of the water in the applicant's view of the most important technology of photovoltaics according to the current state of the art. However, the required solar power can be controlled simply and linearly by increasing the collector area of the photovoltaic systems or subsequently by the number of wind turbines or other hydroelectric power plants.

With increasing size of the collector area or the number of other regenerative energy generation systems, the intensity of the "precipitation" or the extent of the water supply into the upper reservoir can be increased in this artificial circulatory system of the present method, as it were, until the area limits for the installation of the " Solar Harvesters” are reached or the available storage volume is exhausted.

The possibilities and potentials of the decentralized, regional and variably increaseable generation of electrical energy associated with the method in question also open up corresponding possibilities of using this energy to generate other energy carriers such as hydrogen from electrolysis.

At present, the large-scale dissemination of this forward-looking and environmentally friendly mobility technology is still failing, among other things, because the transport of hydrogen over long distances is technically difficult and/or uneconomical due to the lack of distribution networks or insufficient transport capacities (transport of hydrogen under very high pressure conditions).

The author is aware that the present method uses existing technologies and methods.

It is essential, however, that the consistent combination of these known technologies and the recognition of the possibilities of increasing the area or number to increase the solar harvest in combination with the provision of sufficient storage volumes open up energy potentials that make a significant contribution to future energy supply and to the reduction of greenhouse gases that are harmful to the climate can be supplied from fossil fuels.

In this sense, the author hopes that the method will make a helpful contribution to securing the human future.

Claims (10)

Expectations 1. A method for generating and storing energy, characterized in that a storage power plant and at least one system for generating renewable energy, in particular in the form of a photovoltaic system (9), wind power plant, tidal power plant, hydroelectric power plant, are combined locally and the renewable energy generated is at least partially added is used to convey a medium of the storage power plant from a lower level to a higher level. 2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that the higher level is on a building. 3. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that the higher level is present on an artificial or natural terrain elevation. 4. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that at least one storage volume (V1, V2) of the storage power plant is increased by mass movements resulting from mining, landfill creation and/or landscaping. 5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the storage power plant is supplied independently from the local plant for the production of renewable energy. 6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the storage power plant and the local plant for the production of renewable energy supply local consumers (15), such as industrial plants, households or in particular a mining plant with energy self-sufficiently. 7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the energy is supplied by the plant for generating renewable energy discontinuously and / or with fluctuating performance and a current energy demand, which exceeds the current performance of the plant for generating renewable energy , is compensated by the storage power plant by converting the energy released by transporting the medium of the storage power plant from the higher level to the lower level into electrical energy. 8. Method for energy production and storage comprising a storage power plant, in which a medium of the storage power plant is conveyed from a lower level to a higher level for energy storage and which has an upper storage volume (V1) and a lower storage volume (V2) for the medium, thereby characterized in that at least one of the storage volumes (V1, V2) is increased during ongoing operation, this being done by mass movements resulting from mining, landfill creation and/or landscaping. 9. The method according to claim 8, characterized in that the storage power plant and a plant for generating renewable energy, in particular in the form of a photovoltaic system (9), wind power plant, tidal power plant, or hydroelectric power plant are combined locally and the renewable energy generated is at least partially used for this purpose is used to convey a medium of the storage power plant from a lower level to a higher level. 10. The method according to claim 9, characterized in that the plant for the production of renewable energy is continuously expanded in order to adapt the renewable energy provided to the increased storage volume (V1, V2). 4 sheets of drawings