Method and apparatus for using wind turbines to generate and supply uninterrupted power to locations remote from the power grid
First Claim
1. A wind energy generating and storage system, comprising:
- a plurality of ground based windmill stations located in a predetermined area, wherein said plurality of windmill stations is divided into at least two kinds;
a predetermined number of first windmill stations having a first wind turbine and an electrical generator adapted and exclusively dedicated to converting wind energy into electrical energy for immediate use; and
a predetermined number of second windmill stations having a second wind turbine adapted and exclusively dedicated to storing energy produced by the wind in at least one storage tank, wherein at least one compressor is provided to compress air into said tank, at least one expander is provided to release the compressed air from said tank, and a second generator is provided to convert compressed air energy into electrical energy.
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Abstract
The present invention relates to a wind energy generating and storing system comprising methods and apparatuses for providing energy dedicated for immediate use and energy storage, to provide electrical power on an uninterrupted and continous basis, to locations remote from an electrical power grid. In a large application, the invention contemplates having a predetermined number of windmills dedicated for immediate use, and a predetermined number of windmills dedicated for energy storage, as compressed air energy in one or more high pressure tanks. A hybrid windmill having the ability to simultaneously switch between energy for immediate use and energy storage can also be provided.
130 Citations
19 Claims
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1. A wind energy generating and storage system, comprising:
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a plurality of ground based windmill stations located in a predetermined area, wherein said plurality of windmill stations is divided into at least two kinds;
a predetermined number of first windmill stations having a first wind turbine and an electrical generator adapted and exclusively dedicated to converting wind energy into electrical energy for immediate use; and
a predetermined number of second windmill stations having a second wind turbine adapted and exclusively dedicated to storing energy produced by the wind in at least one storage tank, wherein at least one compressor is provided to compress air into said tank, at least one expander is provided to release the compressed air from said tank, and a second generator is provided to convert compressed air energy into electrical energy. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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8. A method of generating and storing energy, comprising:
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providing a predetermined number of first windmill stations, each having a wind turbine and an electrical generator adapted and dedicated to converting wind energy into electrical energy for immediate use;
providing a predetermined number of second windmill stations having a second wind turbine adapted and dedicated to storing energy produced by the wind in at least one storage tank, wherein at least one compressor is provided to compress air into said tank, at least one expander is provided to release the compressed air from said tank, and at least a second generator is provided to convert compressed air energy into electrical energy; and
providing a predetermined number of hybrid windmill stations having a third wind turbine adapted and dedicated to converting wind energy into electrical energy for immediate use, and/or storing energy produced by the wind, wherein said hybrid windmill stations can be switched between providing energy for immediate use and providing energy for storage. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
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16. A wind farm for generating and storing energy, comprising:
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a plurality of windmill stations located in a predetermined area, wherein said plurality of windmill stations is divided into at least three types;
a predetermined number of first windmill stations having a first wind turbine and an electrical generator adapted and dedicated to converting wind energy into electrical energy for immediate use;
a predetermined number of second windmill stations having a second wind turbine adapted and dedicated to storing energy produced by the wind in at least one storage tank, wherein said at least one storage tank has associated therewith at least one compressor to compress air into said at least one tank, at least one expander to release the compressed air from said at least one tank, and a second generator to convert compressed air energy into electrical energy; and
a predetermined number of hybrid windmill stations having a third wind turbine adapted and dedicated to converting wind energy into electrical energy for immediate use, and/or storing energy produced by the wind, wherein said hybrid windmill stations each comprise a splitter for splitting mechanical power generated by said third wind turbine, wherein said splitter is capable of simultaneously apportioning and adjusting the amount of mechanical power generated by said third wind turbine between a first converter for generating electricity for immediate use, and a second converter for generating and storing compressed air energy in at least one storage tank. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19)
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Specification