Renewable energy vehicle charging station
First Claim
1. A vehicle recharging system for electric or hybrid vehicles comprising;
- a stanchion, said stanchion elongated in a first direction and having means to secure said stanchion to a base at one end and to secure a renewable energy capture device at the other end andtransverse to said first direction having two flanges separated and joined by at least one web section, said web section having a face surface contiguous with said flanges, said face surface and said flanges bounding a rectangular cavity on either side of said stanchion andhaving a number of electrical storage devices with dimensions less than said rectangular cavity transverse to said first direction and secured to said stanchion by means of a number of brackets bonded to said stanchion withsaid renewable energy capture device having an energy output and said vehicle recharging system further including a control device capable of transforming said energy output to a form usable by said electrical storage devices and a control device capable of distributing said energy output to said electrical storage devices andsaid electrical storage devices having the capability to release energy to one or more pieces of energy use equipment at the direction of a distribution control device, with at least one of said pieces of energy use equipment comprising a charging plug,whereby renewable energy can be economically captured and used in a populated area for direct recharging of electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles.
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Abstract
A renewable energy system for directly charging electric and hybrid vehicles is shown for areas with modest wind resources and/or solar resources. The invention consists of a composite stanchion for mounting on a base in a parking lot that is both capable of supporting a medium sized wind turbine (or solar array) and serving as a battery storage and charging control station. Significant improvements in blade pitch adjustment and cost reduction for wind turbine blades allow the system to operate at an acceptable cost in areas with modest winds and avoid the need for remotely supplied renewable electricity in areas of high population density. In turn, this will allow for increased electrical grid stability through increased use of distributed generation.
70 Citations
20 Claims
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1. A vehicle recharging system for electric or hybrid vehicles comprising;
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a stanchion, said stanchion elongated in a first direction and having means to secure said stanchion to a base at one end and to secure a renewable energy capture device at the other end and transverse to said first direction having two flanges separated and joined by at least one web section, said web section having a face surface contiguous with said flanges, said face surface and said flanges bounding a rectangular cavity on either side of said stanchion and having a number of electrical storage devices with dimensions less than said rectangular cavity transverse to said first direction and secured to said stanchion by means of a number of brackets bonded to said stanchion with said renewable energy capture device having an energy output and said vehicle recharging system further including a control device capable of transforming said energy output to a form usable by said electrical storage devices and a control device capable of distributing said energy output to said electrical storage devices and said electrical storage devices having the capability to release energy to one or more pieces of energy use equipment at the direction of a distribution control device, with at least one of said pieces of energy use equipment comprising a charging plug, whereby renewable energy can be economically captured and used in a populated area for direct recharging of electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
whereby torsional displacement of said stanchion from its vertical position can be resisted. -
3. The vehicle charging system of claim 1, wherein said means to secure said base comprises a base plate having an upper surface and a lower surface as part of said base, with two blocks bonded to said upper surface, said two blocks separated by at least one gap with the width of said at least one gap being slightly larger than the thickness of said at least one web section, and with said at least one web section contained within said at least one gap and with an optional fastener passing through said two blocks and said at least one web section in the assembled system.
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4. The vehicle charging system of claim 1, wherein said base includes a base plate having integral means to interlock with said stanchion and said means to secure said base comprises an adhesive joint between said integral means and said stanchion,
whereby the base and the stanchion can be shipped to a job site as a pre-assembled unit. -
5. The vehicle charging system of claim 1, wherein said electrical storage devices comprise electrical batteries.
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6. The vehicle charging system of claim 1 wherein said renewable energy capture device comprises a wind turbine coupled to an electrical generator.
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7. The vehicle charging system of claim 6, wherein said wind turbine comprises a vertical axis wind turbine.
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8. The vehicle charging system of claim 1 wherein said renewable energy capture device comprises a solar array.
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9. The vehicle charging system of claim 8 wherein said solar array comprises a number of photovoltaic panels.
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10. The vehicle charging system of claim 9 wherein said photovoltaic panels include integral purlins spanning intermediate beams, with each said intermediate beam tied to one of said stanchions.
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11. The vehicle charging system of claim 10, further including a hinged connection between each said intermediate beam and said stanchions and means to vary the pitch of said solar array.
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12. The vehicle charging system of claim 1, wherein said stanchion is composed of a fibrous reinforcement within a matrix of thermoset resin material, where
said fibrous reinforcement can a combination of fiberglass unidirectional rovings, stitched triaxial fiberglass fabric, non-woven glass fabric and stitched 0/90 glass fabrics and said thermoset resin material is selected from a list including epoxy, urethane, phenolic, polyester and vinyl polymers, whereby: - said stanchion can be produced easily using the continuous composite production process of pultrusion.
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13. The vehicle charging system of claim 1, wherein said stanchion is composed of a fibrous reinforcement within a matrix of resin material, where
said fibrous reinforcement is selected from a list including cellulose based fibers, other natural product fibers, carbon based fibers, glass fibers, aramid and other high strength organic fibers, rock wool fibers or fibers produced from lava deposits. -
14. The vehicle charging system of claim 1, wherein said stanchion is composed of metal.
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15. The vehicle recharging system of claim 1, further including a facing panel secured to said stanchion and covering said rectangular cavity.
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16. The vehicle recharging system of claim 2, wherein said means to secure said renewable energy capture device comprises an anchor blade engaging said slot with several fasteners passing through said two web sections and said anchor blade.
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17. The vehicle recharging system of claim 2, further including a circuit board mounted within said slot, said circuit board having electrical wiring connecting said electrical storage devices, said control devices, said distribution control device and said energy use equipment.
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18. The vehicle recharging system of claim 1, further including a user interface module capable of communicating payment information to said distribution control device and capable of communicating vehicle charging information to a user.
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19. The vehicle recharging station of claim 1, wherein one of said pieces of energy use equipment includes a grid connected panel,
whereby said grid connected panel can alternately supply energy to said vehicle recharging station or receive energy from said vehicle recharging station. -
20. The vehicle recharging station of claim 1, wherein one of said pieces of energy use equipment includes a light post.
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Specification