Abstract: A lift drive system for an energy storage and delivery system includes an electric motor that rotates a driven shaft, a brake assembly for selectively braking the rotation of the driven shaft, and optionally includes a clutch selectively operable to decouple the electric motor from the driven shaft. A steel ribbon is disposed at least partially about and in contact with the driven shaft, where rotation of the driven shaft by the electric motor causes linear movement of the steel ribbon. The steel ribbon can connect at one end to an elevator cage assembly and at an opposite end to a counterweight.

Abstract: A system for generating electricity from an underwater stream for generating electricity for the electric grid or for producing hydrogen includes an underwater turbine. The underwater turbine includes an upper pontoon, a lower pontoon, and a pylon structure that extends between and interconnects the upper pontoon and the lower pontoon. The underwater turbine also includes a single propeller assembly rotatably coupled to the lower pontoon. Rotation of the propeller operates a generator to generate electricity. The underwater turbine can be moored to a sea floor via a mooring weight. An optional friction winch is operable to raise or lower the underwater turbine relative to the sea floor.

Abstract: An energy management system and methods of using the same are disclosed. The energy management system is configured to distribute power plant tasks. Energy management system tasks are received at the energy management system. At least a portion of the received tasks are passed over a network from the energy management system to a power plant lead controller in a cluster of nodes, the cluster of nodes comprising electronic devices configured to control power plant equipment, the cluster of nodes comprising the power plant lead controller and a plurality of power plant follower controllers, the cluster of nodes configured to provide a plurality of combinations of redundancy to control power plant equipment. The power plant lead controller delegates, in real time, tasks to the plurality of power plant follower controllers. At least one of the cluster of nodes is configurable to be in hot standby mode.

Abstract: An energy management system and methods of using the same are disclosed. The energy management system is configured to deploy a first instantiation of a first hardware driver at a first electronic control device collocated with a first power plant apparatus, wherein the first hardware driver is configured to communicate with and enable control of the first power plant apparatus. The energy management system is configured to detect that the first instantiation of the first hardware driver at the first electronic control device has failed, and at least partly in response to detecting that the first instantiation of the first hardware driver at the first electronic control device has failed, utilize a second instantiation of the first hardware driver, stored in memory remote from the first electronic control device, to enable control of the first power plant apparatus.

Abstract: An energy storage and delivery system includes an elevator, where the elevator is operable to move one or more blocks from a lower elevation to a higher elevation to store energy (e.g., via the potential energy of the block in the higher elevation) and operable to move one or more blocks from a higher elevation to a lower elevation (e.g., by gravity) to generate electricity (e.g., via the kinetic energy of the block when moved to the lower elevation). The energy storage system can, for example, store electricity generated from solar power as potential energy in the stacked blocks during daytime hours when solar power is available, and can convert the potential energy in the stacked blocks into electricity during nighttime hours when solar energy is not available, and deliver the converted electricity to the electrical grid.

Abstract: Systems and methods for testing a power plant emulation are disclosed. Software for an energy management system is deployed to a computer system comprising computing devices. A model of a power plant site is deployed to a test framework. Test commands and/or use cases are injected, via the test framework to public energy management system end points. The test commands and/or use cases are used to emulate and test the model of at least the portion of the power plant site and to generate simulated operating parameter values. The generated simulated operating parameter values of the model are compared with expected values. A determination is made as to whether the model passed testing using the comparison. After determining the model passed testing, software, corresponding to at least a portion of the model, is made available for deployment to operate a physical version of the power plant site.

Abstract: The method according to the invention relates to the storage of energy in the form of a compressed fluid which is pumped into a container (2) arranged below a water surface (4) to store the energy, wherein the fluid entering the container displaces an existing content, comprising water, from the container and into the surrounding water, and compressed fluid is removed from the container (2) to remove energy, wherein surrounding water flows back into the container according to the volume of the removed, compressed fluid, characterized in that the container (2) is provided with flexible walls at least in some parts and is arranged on a seabed (6) or lake bed (6) and there is covered by ballast (15) such that it is pressed against the substrate even when completely filled with compressed fluid.

Abstract: An energy storage and delivery system includes one or more cableways and a cage that travels along each of the one or more cableways. The cage is coupled (e.g., fixedly coupled) to one or more cables that extend between a lower elevation and a higher elevation, the cables or steel ribbons being translated along the associated cableway by a traction motor wheel to translate the cage along the associated cableway. The system is operable to pick-up, transport and deliver with the cage a plurality of blocks from the lower elevation to the higher elevation to store energy (e.g., via the potential energy of the block). The system is also operable to pick-up, transport and deliver with the cage a plurality of blocks from the higher elevation to the lower elevation at least partially under force of gravity to generate electricity via an electric generator coupled to the traction motor wheel.

Abstract: A system for making blocks for gravity energy storage includes an extrusion press machine with a receiving chamber for receiving raw material, a compaction chamber and a pressing wall driven by a piston to push the raw material into the compaction chamber to compact the material to form a block. One or more of a top wall, opposite side walls and the pressing wall are moved away from the a center of the compaction chamber to allow the block to elastically expand prior to exiting the compaction chamber.

Abstract: An energy storage system includes a crane and a plurality of blocks, where the crane is operable to move blocks from a lower elevation to a higher elevation (via stacking of the blocks) to store electrical energy as potential energy of the blocks, and then operable to move blocks from a higher elevation to a lower elevation (via unstacking of the blocks) to generate electricity based on the kinetic energy of the block when lowered (e.g., by gravity). The energy storage system can, for example, store electricity generated from solar power as potential energy in the stacked blocks during daytime hours when solar power is available, and can convert the potential energy in the stacked blocks into electricity during nighttime hours when solar energy is not available, and deliver the converted electricity to the power grid.

Abstract: An energy storage and delivery system includes an elevator cage, where the elevator cage is operable to move one or more blocks from a lower elevation to a higher elevation to store energy (e.g., via the potential energy of the block in the higher elevation) and operable to move one or more blocks from the higher elevation to the lower elevation (e.g., by gravity) to generate electricity (e.g., via the kinetic energy of the block when moved to the lower elevation). The blocks are moved between the lower elevation and the higher elevation by an equal vertical distance.

Abstract: An elevator cage is used in an energy storage and delivery system to move blocks between a lower elevation of a tower and a higher elevation of a tower to store energy and to move blocks between a higher elevation of the tower and a lower elevation of the tower under force of gravity to generate electricity. The elevator cage removably receives a block thereon and supports the block on at least three sides.

Abstract: An energy storage and delivery system includes one or more cableways and a cage that travels along each of the one or more cableways. The cage is coupled (e.g., fixedly coupled) to one or more cables that extend between a lower elevation and a higher elevation, the cables or steel ribbons being translated along the associated cableway by a traction motor wheel to translate the cage along the associated cableway. The system is operable to pick-up, transport and deliver with the cage a plurality of blocks from the lower elevation to the higher elevation to store energy (e.g., via the potential energy of the block). The system is also operable to pick-up, transport and deliver with the cage a plurality of blocks from the higher elevation to the lower elevation at least partially under force of gravity to generate electricity via an electric generator coupled to the traction motor wheel.

Abstract: An energy storage and delivery system includes one or more cableways and a cage that travels along each of the one or more cableways. The cage is coupled (e.g., fixedly coupled) to one or more cables that extend between a lower elevation and a higher elevation, the cables or steel ribbons being translated along the associated cableway by a traction motor wheel to translate the cage along the associated cableway. The system is operable to pick-up, transport and deliver with the cage a plurality of blocks from the lower elevation to the higher elevation to store energy (e.g., via the potential energy of the block). The system is also operable to pick-up, transport and deliver with the cage a plurality of blocks from the higher elevation to the lower elevation at least partially under force of gravity to generate electricity via an electric generator coupled to the traction motor wheel.

Abstract: An energy storage and delivery system includes an elevator operable to move blocks from a lower elevation to a higher elevation to store energy and from a higher elevation to a lower elevation to generate electricity. A winch assembly is movably coupled to a cable that is coupled to the elevator. The winch assembly has planetary gear assemblies, brakes that selectively engage at least a portion of the planetary gear assemblies, and a spool coupled to the cable. A drive shaft extends between a motor-generator and the winch assembly. A brake is operable so that the spool rotates to reel-in the cable to raise the elevator to move a block from a lower elevation to a higher elevation to store energy or so that the spool rotates to reel-out the cable to lower the elevator to move a block from a higher elevation to a lower elevation to generate electricity.

Abstract: A grabber used, for example in the lifting and lowering of blocks, includes one or more arms with a damped self-centering mechanism at a distal end thereof. The damped self-centering mechanism dampen a contact force received thereon and facilitates a self-centering of the damped self-centering mechanism relative to a surface of, for example, a block when the grabber is moved relative to the block (e.g., when the arms are lowered through bores in the block).

Abstract: An energy storage and delivery system includes an elevator cage, where the elevator cage is operable to move one or more blocks from a lower elevation to a higher elevation to store energy (e.g., via the potential energy of the block in the higher elevation) and operable to move one or more blocks from the higher elevation to the lower elevation (e.g., by gravity) to generate electricity (e.g., via the kinetic energy of the block when moved to the lower elevation). The blocks are moved between the lower elevation and the higher elevation by an equal vertical distance.

Abstract: An elevator cage is used in an energy storage and delivery system to move blocks between a lower elevation of a tower and a higher elevation of a tower to store energy and to move blocks between a higher elevation of the tower and a lower elevation of the tower under force of gravity to generate electricity. The elevator cage removably receives a block thereon and supports the block on at least three sides.

Abstract: A method for energy storage and delivery includes operating a pair of elevator cages to move blocks between a first set of rows in an upper section of the frame and a corresponding second set of rows in a lower section of the frame. The elevator cages move blocks from alternating rows of the second set of rows to corresponding alternating rows of the first set of rows to store electrical energy corresponding to a potential energy of said blocks and move blocks from alternating rows of the first set of rows to corresponding alternating rows of the second set of rows under a force of gravity to generate electricity via an electric motor-generator electrically coupled to the elevator cages. The elevator cages move said blocks between each of the second set of rows and each of the corresponding first set of rows by an equal vertical distance.

Abstract: An energy storage and delivery system includes a crane operable to move blocks from a lower elevation to a higher elevation to store energy (e.g., via the potential energy of the block in the higher elevation) and operable to move blocks from the higher elevation to the lower elevation (e.g., by gravity) to generate electricity (e.g., via the kinetic energy of the block when moved to the lower elevation). The blocks remain vertically spaced from each other, and a vertical distance between the lower elevation and the higher elevation of each of the blocks is the same.