Abstract: Systems, methods, and apparatus are disclosed involving scour protection of undersea monument foundations, such as monopile foundations. A preferred embodiment comprises an Advanced Ecological Scour Protection System (AESPS) that enhances offshore scour protection through an innovative combination of eco-friendly engineering units and natural materials. In a preferred embodiment, an AESPS includes two main features comprising a single-layer rock blanket deployed first at an intended site of the foundation, followed by installation of fronded eco-concrete mattress units to form a peripheral ring border around the rock blanket. The foundation then may be installed directly into and through the rock blanket, with a monument installed on the foundation, and an export cable extending from the monument, over the mattress units, and through the fronds. Such an AESPS may eliminate critical risks of secondary scour damage, cable lateral movement, and marine life deterioration.

Abstract: Underground facilities built for storing electric energy in the form of gravity and buoyant energy are described herein. In one embodiment, the facility is disposed in a thixotropic fluid beneath the ground surface and houses water to maintain a positive buoyancy and a piston having a bulk density greater than the water. In another embodiment, the underground facility is configured as a buoyant capsule arranged in a cylinder filled with water, where the cylinder is sealed except for openings in a bottom half of the cylinder to allow near unimpeded water flow from a location inside to a location outside of the cylinder. In another embodiment, the underground facility is configured as a negatively buoyant capsule.