Renewable energy power systems

• US 20060192435A1
• Filed: 02/25/2006
• Published: 08/31/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 02/26/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Daniel W. Parmley
• Original Assignee: Daniel W. Parmley
• Inventors: Parmley, Daniel W.
• Granted Patent: US 7,411,308 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 307/66
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 1/10 Parallel operation of dc sources
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2300/30 The power source being a fuel cell
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2310/48 for electric vehicles [EV] or hybrid vehicles [HEV]
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/35 with light sensitive cells
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 9/062 for AC powered loads
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 10/70 Hybrid systems, e.g. uninterruptible or back-up power supplies integrating renewable energies
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 90/10 Applications of fuel cells in buildings

Abstract

Rapidly responsive energy storage means enable the creation of a multi-port DC bus in a UPS, enabling the multi-port DC bus to couple a plurality of intermittent DC sources and intermittent DC loads. The invention includes renewable energy power systems with a UPS having a multi-port DC bus and a responsive energy storage means electrically coupled to the multi-port DC bus. An embodiment includes a renewable energy power system with a UPS having a multi-port DC bus having at least one coupling in addition to the minimum of three required for a UPS to operate. The additional coupling is adapted to couple either a DC load or a DC source to the multi-port DC bus. A responsive energy storage means is coupled to supply power to the multi-port DC bus and is operable to maintain a substantially constant power level on the multi-port DC bus.

Claims

1. A renewable energy power system comprising:

at least one UPS having at least one multi-port DC bus; and

at least one responsive energy storage means electrically coupled to said at least one multi-port DC bus.

2. The renewable energy power system of claim 1, wherein said at least one multi-port DC bus comprises at least one particular coupling in addition to the minimum of three required for said at least one UPS to operate, said at least one particular coupling adapted to couple at least one of at least one DC load and at least one DC source to said at least one multi-port DC bus.

3. The renewable energy power system of claim 1, wherein said at least one responsive energy storage means is operable to supply DC electrical energy to said at least one multi-port DC bus during a first time period and to re-store electrical energy from said at least one multi-port DC bus during a second time period, wherein said second time period is approximately equal to said first time period.

4. The renewable energy power system of claim 3, wherein said at least one responsive energy storage means comprises at least one ultra capacitor.

5. The renewable energy power system of claim 1, further comprising at least one electrolyzer adapted to be electrically coupled to said at least one multi-port DC bus.

6. The renewable energy power system of claim 1, further comprising at least one motor-generator mechanically coupled to at least one variable-aspect-vane turbine and mechanically coupled to at least one high pressure hydrogen pump, wherein said at least one variable-aspect-vane turbine is configurable to drive said at least one motor-generator to produce DC power coupled to said at least one multi-port DC bus.

7. The renewable energy power system of claim 1, further comprising at least one renewable energy source adapted to be coupled to said at least one multi-port DC bus.

8. The renewable energy power system of claim 1, further comprising at least one of at least one intermittent DC load and at least one intermittent DC source adapted to be coupled to said at least one multi-port DC bus.

9. The renewable energy power system of claim 1, further comprising:

at least one low-pressure hydrogen storage tank;

at least one high-pressure hydrogen storage tank;

at least one high-pressure hydrogen pump, operable to pump hydrogen from said at least one low-pressure hydrogen storage tank into said at least one high-pressure hydrogen storage tank;

at least one variable-aspect-vane turbine, operable to extract mechanical energy from at least one pressure differential between high-pressure hydrogen and a lower-pressure destination; and

at least one DC motor-generator mechanically coupled to said at least one variable-aspect-vane turbine and mechanically coupled to said at least one high pressure hydrogen pump,

wherein said at least one motor-generator is coupled to said at least one multi-port DC bus and is operable in a first mode as a motor to drive said at least one high pressure hydrogen pump using power from said at least one multi-port DC bus and is operable in a second mode as a generator driven by said at least one variable-aspect-vane turbine to supply power to said at least one multi-port DC bus; and

wherein said at least one low-pressure hydrogen storage tank is adapted to receive hydrogen gas from at least one of an electrolyzer powered by DC power from said at least one multi-port DC bus and an alternative production facility powered by waste heat from a photovoltaic array, and

wherein said at least one low-pressure hydrogen storage tank is adapted to supply hydrogen to at least one of said at least one high-pressure hydrogen pump and at least one hydrogen-fueled generator; and

wherein said at least one high-pressure hydrogen storage tank is adapted to receive high-pressure hydrogen from said at least one high-pressure hydrogen pump and adapted to supply high-pressure hydrogen to said at least one variable-aspect-vane turbine; and

wherein said at least one variable-aspect-vane turbine is adapted to supply hydrogen to at least one of said at least one hydrogen-fueled generator and at least one hydrogen supply station.

10. The renewable energy power system of claim 1, further comprising at least one DC element coupled to said multi-port DC bus, wherein said at least one DC element is operable as at least one DC source during a particular period of time and is operable as at least one DC load during another particular period of time.

11. The discovery that rapidly responsive energy storage means enable the creation of a multi-port DC bus in a UPS, wherein said multi-port DC bus is operable to couple a plurality of intermittent DC sources and intermittent DC loads.

12. A renewable energy power system comprising:

at least one UPS having at least one multi-port DC bus,

wherein said at least one multi-port DC bus comprises at least one coupling in addition to the minimum of three required for said at least one UPS to operate, said at least one coupling adapted to couple at least one of at least one DC load and at least one DC source to said at least one multi-port DC bus; and

at least one responsive energy storage means coupled to supply power to said at least one multi-port DC bus and operable to maintain a substantially constant power level on said at least one multi-port DC bus.

13. The renewable energy power system of claim 12, wherein said at least one port couples to at least one regulator coupled to said at least one multi-port DC bus.

14. The renewable energy power system of claim 12, wherein said at least one port comprises a plurality of ports, said system further comprising at least one electrolyzer coupled to at least one port of said plurality of ports, said at least one electrolyzer operable to produce hydrogen gas from DC power supplied by said at least one multi-port DC bus.

15. The renewable energy power system of claim 14, further comprising;

at least one low-pressure hydrogen storage tank;

at least one high-pressure hydrogen storage tank;

at least one high-pressure hydrogen pump, operable to pump hydrogen from said at least one low-pressure hydrogen storage tank into said at least one high-pressure hydrogen storage tank;

at least one variable-aspect-vane turbine, operable to extract mechanical energy from at least one pressure differential between high-pressure hydrogen and a lower-pressure destination; and

at least one DC motor-generator mechanically coupled to said at least one variable-aspect-vane turbine and mechanically coupled to said at least one high pressure hydrogen pump,

wherein said at least one motor-generator is coupled to said at least one multi-port DC bus and is operable in a first mode as a motor to drive said at least one high pressure hydrogen pump using power from said at least one multi-port DC bus and is operable in a second mode as a generator driven by said at least one variable-aspect-vane turbine to supply power to said at least one multi-port DC bus.

16. The renewable energy power system of claim 15, further comprising at least one hydrogen fueled generator, adapted to be fluidically coupled to at least one of said at least one variable-aspect-vane turbine and said at least one low-pressure hydrogen storage tank, and responsive to the presence of hydrogen to produce DC power on a DC power line adapted to be coupled to said at least one multi-port DC bus.

17. The renewable energy power system of claim 15, further comprising at least one hydrogen supply station adapted to be fluidically coupled to said at least one high-pressure hydrogen pump and operable to supply hydrogen to end users.

18. The renewable energy power system of claim 12, further comprising at least one electrical recharging station, adapted to be electrically coupled to said at least one multi-port DC bus and operable to recharge electrical vehicles.

19. The renewable energy power system of claim 12, wherein said at least one port comprises a plurality of ports, the system further comprising a plurality of DC power sources and DC loads coupled to said multi-port DC bus.

20. The renewable energy power system of claim 12, further comprising at least one renewable-energy source adapted to be electrically coupled to said at least one multi-port DC bus.