Integrated multiple fuel renewable energy system

• US 9,966,763 B2
• Filed: 06/01/2008
• Issued: 05/08/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 06/07/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Joel Scheinberg
• Original Assignee: Allen L. Witters, Joel Scheinberg, Robert E. Lyon
• Inventors: Witters, Allen L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Barnie, Rexford
• Assistant Examiner(s): INGE, JOSEPH N
• Application Number:
  US12/131,106
• Publication Number:
  US 20080303348A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,628 Days
• Field of Search: 307 72, 307 64
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2300/10 The dispersed energy generation being of fossil origin, e.g. diesel generators
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2300/20 The dispersed energy generation being of renewable origin
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2300/22 The renewable source being solar energy
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2300/28 The renewable source being wind energy
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2300/40 wherein a plurality of decentralised, dispersed or local energy generation technologies are operated simultaneously
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/381 Dispersed generators
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/46 Controlling of the sharing of output between the generators, converters, or transformers
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/76 Power conversion electric or electronic aspects
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 80/20 using renewable energy

Abstract

A system for continuously generating baseload electrical energy entirely from renewable resources and transmitting the generated electrical energy to a transmission grid includes, in combination, a first energy generation device for continuously generating electrical energy output, which has a bio-mass fuel supply requirement for generating the electrical energy. One or more additional energy generation devices provide, as available, intermittent electrical and thermal energy for substituting, or supplementing, the electrical energy output of the first energy generation device, and for supplementing the fuel supply requirement for the first energy generation device. A switching device ensures a least-cost generation of baseload electrical energy from the generating system by selectively using the output of the first energy generation device or, as available, the one or more additional energy generation device for substituting, or supplementing, the electrical output of the first energy generation device, and selectively supplementing the fuel supply requirement of the first energy generation device providing, at a minimum, a baseload electrical energy output exclusively from renewable energy resources. A redundant supply of combustible bio-mass fuel assets are assured by a bio-mass harvesting and logistics system which supplies such fuels directly from the source to the first energy generation device for combustion. Effluent gasses containing CO₂ from bio-mass combustion are sequestered in a body of fluid containing micro-algal bodies and light-emitting sources for causing, by photosynthesis in the presence of CO₂, an increased mass of algal bodies by absorption of the CO₂ and the emission of free oxygen. The increased mass of algal bodies are removed from the fluid body and used for the production of bio-diesel fuel. A method of operating an entirely renewable sourced electric power generation and transmission business is also provided.

Claims

1. A system for continuously generating baseload electrical energy and transmitting the generated electrical energy to a transmission grid, comprising:

a primary generator for continuously generating a primary energy output, said primary generator operable on a continuous non-intermittent basis, said primary generator having a primary fuel supply comprising a single form of fuel derived exclusively from renewable resources, said primary fuel capable of enabling continuous operation of said primary generator using only said primary fuel, and means for continuously supplying said primary fuel for generating said primary output continuously;

a secondary generator providing a secondary output, said secondary generator having a fuel supply derived exclusively from renewable resources, said secondary output providing as available electrical and thermal energy for substituting and supplementing the electrical energy output of said primary generator, and supplying as available a second form of fuel for supplementing the supply requirement of said primary fuel for said primary generator;

switch means coupled to said primary and said secondary generators and to said transmission grid for enabling the continuous generation and delivery of electric energy at baseload levels, the operation of said switch means configured to optimally reduce the consumption of said primary fuel in said primary generator in favor of the application to the system of the output of said secondary generator, the combination thereby yielding at minimum a continuous total electric energy output at baseload level; and

,

means coupling said total electrical energy output to the transmission grid.

2. The system for generating electrical energy and transmitting the generated electrical energy to a transmission grid according to claim 1, wherein

said switch means comprises means for providing a least-cost generation of baseload electrical energy by said system by selectively switching between the electrical energy output of the primary generator and the as available, energy of the secondary generator substituting for and supplementing the electrical energy output of said primary generator, and selectively switching the as available energy of the secondary generator for supplementing the supply requirement of said primary fuel, thereby yielding a combination providing, at a minimum, baseload electrical energy comprising a total electrical energy output.

3. The system for generating electrical energy and transmitting the generated electrical energy to a transmission grid according to claim 1, wherein said primary fuel is comprised of bio-mass selected from the group consisting of woody biomass, bovine waste, dewatered algae and a combination thereof.

4. The system for generating electrical energy and transmitting the generated electrical energy to a transmission grid according to claim 1, wherein said secondary fuel supply is derived from wind resources.

5. The system for generating electrical energy and transmitting the generated electrical energy to a transmission grid according to claim 1, wherein said secondary fuel supply is derived from solar resources.

6. The system for generating electrical energy and transmitting the generated electrical energy to a transmission grid according to claim 1, wherein said secondary generator comprises:

a first additional renewable-based energy generation means for generating a secondary electrical energy output for substituting and supplementing, as available, the electrical energy of the primary output of said primary generator and for supplementing the supply requirement of said primary fuel; and

, a second additional renewable-based energy generation means for generating thermal energy for supplementing, as available, the supply requirement of said primary fuel.

7. The system for generating electrical energy and transmitting the generated electrical energy to a transmission grid according to claim 6, wherein said first additional renewable-based energy generation means for generating said secondary output is a wind-propelled generator.

8. The system for generating electrical energy and transmitting the generated electrical energy to a transmission grid according to claim 6, wherein said second additional renewable-based energy generation means for generating said secondary output is a solar thermal generator.

9. The system for generating electrical energy and transmitting the generated electrical energy to a transmission grid according to claim 6, wherein:

said first additional renewable-based energy generation means for generating said secondary output is a wind-propelled generator; and

,

said second additional renewable-based energy generation means for generating thermal energy for supplementing as available the fuel supply requirement of the first energy generation means is selected from the group consisting of a solar generator, and a combination of a solar generator and a wind-propelled generator.

10. The system for generating electrical energy and transmitting the generated electrical energy to a transmission grid according to claim 1, further comprising:

a bio-mass logistics system including;

forestry asset harvesting apparatus having means for identifying sub-optimal forestry assets and harvesting the sub-optimal forestry assets at a forestry site, said forestry asset harvesting apparatus including;

forestry thinning means for cutting and handling the sub-optimal forestry assets;

means for gathering the sub-optimal forestry assets harvested using said forestry thinning apparatus; and

,

means for gathering forestry waste created as a by-product of forestry lumber gathering operations and of natural causes at the forestry site utilizing said forestry thinning means for cutting and handling forestry assets;

chipping means for reducing into particle size the sub-optimal forestry assets gathered by said means for gathering the forestry waste;

a plurality of bio-cell units coupled to said chipping means for receiving the forestry waste reduced to said particle size, each bio-cell unit of said plurality of bio-cell units being transportable;

means for decoupling said plurality of bio-cell units from said chipping means after each of said bio-cell units has received the forestry waste of said particle size; and

,

means for transporting said bio-cells;

a warehouse having an inventory logistics system for receiving said plurality of bio-cell units containing the forestry waste of said particle size, said warehouse being proximate to said first energy generation means, and said logistics system being capable of selectively delivering each said bio-cell unit containing the forestry waste of said particle size to said first energy generation means;

means for emptying said plurality of bio-cell units of the forestry waste of said particle size into said first energy generation means; and

,

means for transporting to, and from, the forestry site said plurality of bio-cell units.

11. The system for generating electrical energy and transmitting the generated electrical energy to a transmission grid according to claim 1, further comprising:

means for capturing effluent gases of combustion of carbon-based fuel in said first energy generation means;

means for removing latent heat from the effluent gases;

means for recycling the latent heat to said first energy generation means;

a body of fluid containing micro-algal bodies;

means for delivering the effluent gases to said body of fluid containing said micro-algal bodies;

a light emitting source for emitting light having a wavelength for causing photo-synthesis by said micro-algal bodies in the presence of carbon dioxide;

means for circulating the effluent gases and said body of fluid containing said micro-algal bodies for exposing the effluent gases and said body of fluid containing said micro-algal bodies to said light emitting source for causing by photosynthesis of said micro-algal bodies production of an increased mass of algal bodies;

means for removing said increased mass of algal bodies from said body of fluid; and

,

means for dewatering said increased mass of algal bodies following removal from said body of fluid.

12. The system for generating electrical energy and transmitting the generated electrical energy to a transmission grid according to claim 11, wherein said wavelength of said light emitting source for causing photosynthesis by said micro-algal bodies is in the range of 400-680 nm.

13. The system for generating electrical energy and transmitting the generated electrical energy to a transmission grid according to claim 11, wherein said micro-algal bodies include at least one species selected from the group consisting of blue-green algae and green algae.

14. A method for generating baseload electrical energy and transmitting the generated electrical energy to a transmission grid, comprising the steps of:

generating a primary output of electrical energy using a first generator, said primary generator being operated continuously on a non-intermittent basis, supplying the fuel requirements of said primary generator using a single form of fuel derived exclusively from renewable resources, said primary fuel being supplied in a manner enabling continuous operation of said primary generator without using any fuel other than said primary fuel, thereby generating said baseload electrical energy continuously;

generating a secondary energy output utilizing exclusively renewable energy resources, said secondary generator comprising at least one of wind power and solar-thermal energy for providing electrical energy and thermal energy for supplementing, as available, the baseload electrical energy and the supply requirement of said primary form of fuel for said primary generator;

continuously selecting the least-cost generation of electrical energy by said primary and secondary generators by selectively using, as available, the secondary output of said secondary generator substituting and supplementing the electrical energy of said primary output and providing a secondary form of fuel supplementing the supply requirement of said primary fuel for said primary generator thereby providing, at a minimum, a total energy output yielding a continuous baseload electrical energy output; and

,

coupling said total generated electrical energy output to a transmission grid.

15. The method for generating baseload electrical energy and transmitting the generated electrical energy to a transmission grid according to claim 14, wherein said primary generator uses a primary fuel derived exclusively from renewable resources, including bio-mass selected from the group consisting of woody biomass, bovine waste, dewatered algae and a combination thereof.

16. The method for generating baseload electrical energy and transmitting the generated electrical energy to a transmission grid according to claim 14, further comprising the steps of:

generating secondary energy output in the form of thermal energy for supplementing as available the supply requirement of said primary fuel;

generating additional secondary energy output for supplementing, as available, the primary electrical output generated by said primary generator;

continuously selecting the least-cost generation of energy by said total generation system by selectively switching, as available, between the energy generated by said secondary generators and the primary output of said primary generator for substituting and supplementing the primary electrical output of said primary generator and, as available, switching the secondary energy output for supplying thermal energy to the primary generator for supplementing the primary fuel supply requirement of said primary generator, thereby providing, at a minimum, a total electrical energy output yielding baseload electrical energy.

17. The method for generating baseload electrical energy and transmitting the generated electrical energy to a transmission grid according to claim 16, wherein said secondary energy output is generated by a wind-propelled generator.

18. The method for generating baseload electrical energy and transmitting the generated electrical energy to a transmission grid according to claim 16, wherein said secondary energy output is generated by a solar thermal generator.

19. The method for generating electrical energy and transmitting the generated electrical energy to a transmission grid according to claim 14, further comprising the steps of;

providing a redundant supply of fuel for generating continuous baseload energy including the sub-steps of;

identifying sub-optimal forestry assets;

harvesting the sub-optimal forestry assets at a forestry site, said harvesting including the sub-steps of;

forestry thinning by cutting and handling the sub-optimal forestry assets;

gathering the sub-optimal forestry assets harvested using said forestry thinning operations; and

,

gathering forestry waste created as a by-product of said harvesting and from natural causes at the forestry site;

reducing the sub-optimal forestry assets harvested into particle size via chipping means;

collecting the sub-optimal forestry assets reduced to said particle size in finite uniformly sized bio-cell containers;

transporting the bio-cell containers containing the sub-optimal forestry assets reduced to said particle size from the forestry site to a location proximate to said first generation means;

warehousing a plurality of said bio-cell containers containing the sub-optimal forestry assets reduced to said particle size;

providing an inventory and logistics system for said bio-cell containers containing the sub-optimal forestry assets reduced to said particle size;

selectively delivering, as needed, said bio-cell containers containing the sub-optimal forestry assets reduced to said particle size to a point of combustion of said generation means;

emptying said bio-cell containers containing the sub-optimal forestry assets reduced to said particle size into said generation means for generating said baseload electrical energy; and

,

inventorying and transporting emptied said bio-cell containers back to the forestry site.

20. The method for generating electrical energy and transmitting the generated electrical energy to a transmission grid according to claim 14, further comprising the steps of:

sequestering effluent gases containing carbon dioxide from said generation means, said sequestering step including the sub-steps of;

capturing the effluent gases of combustion of carbon-based fuel from said generation means;

delivering the effluent gases into a body of fluid containing micro-algal bodies;

providing a light emitting source within said body of fluid containing said micro-algal bodies, said light-emitting source having a wavelength for causing photosynthesis of said micro-algal bodies in the presence of carbon dioxide;

circulating the effluent gases and said body of fluid containing said micro-algal bodies for exposing the effluent gases and said micro-algal bodies to said light emitting source for causing by photosynthesis of said micro-algal bodies production of an increased mass of algal bodies;

removing said increased mass of algal bodies from said body of fluid and, dewatering said increased mass of algal bodies following removal from said body of fluid.

21. A method for establishing and operating an integrated energy production plant and transmission system using exclusively renewable resources for producing, at minimum, a baseload energy output, comprising the steps of:

identifying a source of bio-mass, providing a redundant inventory of said bio-mass and establishing a logistics system for handling said bio-mass;

establishing a first generation system operable on a non-intermittent basis and including at least one steam driven turbine generator for producing a continuous energy output;

continuously delivering said bio-mass to said first generation system for combustion therein, the continuous delivery thereby capable of enabling continuous generation of energy without utilizing any other fuel source;

establishing a second generation system for generating an intermittent energy output;

establishing switching means for selectively managing the continuous energy output of the first generation system and the intermittent energy output of the second generation system for providing an integrated energy production system;

causing the switching means to provide a least-cost total energy output by selectively switching the continuous energy output of the first generation system and the, as available, intermittent energy output from the second generation system for providing a least-cost fuel source and yielding the least-cost total energy output, said switching means being operable for sensing the intermittent energy output from said second generation system for providing a firmed constant baseload output;

connecting said least-cost total energy output to a transmission grid;

collecting effluent gases containing carbon dioxide from the first generation system; and

,

sequestering the effluent gases in a collector tank containing fluid and micro-algal bodies for eliminating release of carbon-based gases into the atmosphere.

22. The method for establishing and operating an integrated energy production plant and transmission system using exclusively renewable resources according to claim 21, wherein said logistics system for handling said bio-mass includes the sub-steps of:

providing a plurality of containers for receiving and transporting said bio-mass;

filling said plurality of containers with said bio-mass harvested from the source;

extracting latent fluids contained in said biomass from said plurality of containers for leaching the latent wood sugars from the biomass; and

,

producing alcohol from the latent fluids containing the latent wood sugars obtained via said extracting sub-step.

23. The method for establishing and operating an integrated energy production plant and transmission system using exclusively renewable resources according to claim 21, wherein said step of sequestering the effluent gases in a collector tank containing fluid and micro-algal bodies includes the sub-steps of:

providing a light emitting source in the collector tank for triggering photo-synthesis of the micro-algal bodies and absorption of carbon dioxide for growing an increased mass of micro-algal bodies;

separating the increased mass of micro-algal bodies from the fluid in the collector tank;

producing bio-diesel fuel from the increased mass of micro-algal bodies obtained via said separating sub-step; and

,

collecting free oxygen as a by-product of the photosynthesis in the collector tank.

24. The method for establishing and operating an integrated energy production plant and transmission system using exclusively renewable resources according to claim 21, wherein said logistics system for handling said bio-mass includes the sub-steps of:

identifying sub-optimal forestry assets at a forestry site;

thinning the forestry site by harvesting and removing the sub-optimal forestry assets;

harvesting and removing forestry wastes in addition to the sub-optimal forestry assets;

reducing the sub-optimal forestry assets obtained via said thinning sub-step and the forestry wastes obtained via said harvesting and removing sub-step to particle size by running the sub-optimal forestry assets and the forestry wastes through a chipper for obtaining particle-sized forestry assets;

providing a plurality of uniformly sized receiving containers;

filling said plurality of uniformly sized receiving containers with the particle-sized forestry assets for yielding filled containers of the particle-sized forestry assets;

transporting the filled containers of the particle-sized forestry assets to a warehouse facility located proximate to the first generation system;

providing an inventory and handling system for storing the filled containers of the particle-sized forestry assets and for moving the filled containers within inventory in the warehouse facility;

delivering the particle-sized forestry assets of the filled containers to, and emptying the particle-sized forestry assets into, the first generating system for combustion;

transporting filled containers to, and from, the warehouse facility and the forestry site;

transporting said plurality of uniformly sized receiving containers, when empty, to, and from, the warehouse facility and the forestry site.

25. The method for establishing and operating an integrated energy production plant and transmission system using exclusively renewable resources according to claim 21, wherein said intermittent energy output of said second generation system includes a first intermittent energy output that comprises both electrical energy generation and thermal energy generation, and a second intermittent energy output that is exclusively thermal energy generation.