Method and apparatus for creating large energy storage mass using renewable energy

Abstract

A system for cooling residential, commercial, and industrial buildings using renewable cold energy, accessible from the ambient environment, that is stored, at little or no incremental cost, in a large mass of cold water or ice. The cold mass is sized based on the building. The cold storage mass can be constructed using a variety of methods, depending on the climatic region, zoning requirements, terrain, size of land, and availability of water sources, amongst other considerations.

We claim: 
     
         1 . An energy storage system and method comprised of creating and storing a large mass of cold water or ice using energy from the ambient environment and storing it for later use; the system being sized so that it is capable of storing more than 300 kW-hr of cold energy, either as latent heat of fusion, or as specific heat, wherein the upper temperature limit for heat exchange is 18° C.; a method for covering or insulating the large mass; a liquid-to-air heat exchanger; a control-box to regulate the heat exchanger; a system of piping between the stored large mass of cold water or ice and the heat exchanger; and a device to regulate the removal of energy from the cold water or ice. 
     
     
         2 . The invention described in  1 , wherein the method of capturing cold energy from the ambient environment uses one or more of the following: the Iceberg system, the Ice Cube system, the Ice Tray sub-system, the Ice Ditch system and/or the Tippy Bucket sub-system. 
     
     
         3 . The invention described in  1 , wherein the method of capturing cold energy from the ambient environment uses an application-specific system in conjunction with one or more of the following: the Iceberg system, the Ice Cube system, the Ice Tray sub-system, the Ice Ditch system and/or the Tippy Bucket sub-system. 
     
     
         4 . The invention described in  1 , wherein the device to regulate the removal of energy from the cold water or ice is a liquid-to-liquid heat exchanger. 
     
     
         5 . The invention described in  4 , wherein the system uses glycol in the piping between the liquid-to-liquid heat exchanger and the liquid-to-air heat exchanger. 
     
     
         6 . The invention described in  1 , wherein the device to regulate the removal of energy from the cold water or ice is a drain, and the melt-water that goes through the drain travels, first, through a liquid-to-air heat exchanger, and, then, is used to evaporatively cool a large surface such as a roof or parking lot. 
     
     
         7 . An energy storage system and method comprised of creating and storing a large mass of cold water or ice using energy from the ambient environment and storing it for later use; the system being sized so that it is capable of storing more than 3 MW-hr of cold energy, either as latent heat of fusion, or as specific heat, wherein the upper temperature limit for heat exchange is 18° C.; a method for covering or insulating the large mass; a liquid-to-air heat exchanger; a control-box to regulate the heat exchanger; a system of piping between the stored large mass of cold water or ice and the heat exchanger; and a device to regulate the removal of energy from the cold water or ice. 
     
     
         8 . The invention described in  7 , wherein the method of capturing cold energy from the ambient environment uses one or more of the following: the Iceberg system, the Ice Cube system, the Ice Tray sub-system, the Ice Ditch system and/or the Tippy Bucket sub-system. 
     
     
         9 . The invention described in  7 , wherein the method of capturing cold energy from the ambient environment uses an application-specific system in conjunction with one or more of the following: the Iceberg system, the Ice Cube system, the Ice Tray sub-system, the Ice Ditch system and/or the Tippy Bucket sub-system. 
     
     
         10 . The invention described in  7 , wherein the device to regulate the removal of energy from the cold water or ice is a liquid-to-liquid heat exchanger. 
     
     
         11 . The invention described in  10 , wherein the system uses glycol in the piping between the liquid-to-liquid heat exchanger and the liquid-to-air heat exchanger. 
     
     
         12 . The invention described in  7 , wherein the device to regulate the removal of energy from the cold water or ice is a drain, and the melt-water that goes through the drain travels, first, through a liquid-to-air heat exchanger, and, then, is used to evaporatively cool a large surface such as a roof or parking lot. 
     
     
         13 . An energy storage system and method comprised of creating and storing a large mass of cold water or ice using energy from the ambient environment and storing it for later use; the system being sized so that it is capable of storing more than 30 MW-hr of cold energy, either as latent heat of fusion, or as specific heat, wherein the upper temperature limit for heat exchange is 18° C.; a method for covering or insulating the large mass; a liquid-to-air heat exchanger; a control-box to regulate the heat exchanger; a system of piping between the stored large mass of cold water or ice and the heat exchanger; and a device to regulate the removal of energy from the cold water or ice. 
     
     
         14 . The invention described in  13 , wherein the method of capturing cold energy from the ambient environment uses one or more of the following: the Iceberg system, the Ice Cube system, the Ice Tray sub-system, the Ice Ditch system and/or the Tippy Bucket sub-system. 
     
     
         15 . The invention described in  13 , wherein the method of capturing cold energy from the ambient environment uses an application-specific system in conjunction with one or more of the following: the Iceberg system, the Ice Cube system, the Ice Tray sub-system, the Ice Ditch system and/or the Tippy Bucket sub-system. 
     
     
         16 . The invention described in  13 , wherein the device to regulate the removal of energy from the cold water or ice is a liquid-to-liquid heat exchanger. 
     
     
         17 . The invention described in  16 , wherein the system uses glycol in the piping between the liquid-to-liquid heat exchanger and the liquid-to-air heat exchanger. 
     
     
         18 . The invention described in  13 , wherein the device to regulate the removal of energy from the cold water or ice is a drain, and the melt-water that goes through the drain travels, first, through a liquid-to-air heat exchanger, and, then, is used to evaporatively cool a large surface such as a roof or parking lot. 
     
     
         19 . An energy storage system and method comprised of creating and storing a large mass of cold water or ice using energy from the ambient environment and storing it for later use; the system being sized so that it is capable of storing more than 300 MW-hr of cold energy, either as latent heat of fusion, or as specific heat, wherein the upper temperature limit for heat exchange is 18° C.; a method for covering or insulating the large mass; a liquid-to-air heat exchanger; a control-box to regulate the heat exchanger; a system of piping between the stored large mass of cold water or ice and the heat exchanger; and a device to regulate the removal of energy from the cold water or ice. 
     
     
         20 . The invention described in  19 , wherein the method of capturing cold energy from the ambient environment uses one or more of the following: the Iceberg system, the Ice Cube system, the Ice Tray sub-system, the Ice Ditch system and/or the Tippy Bucket sub-system. 
     
     
         21 . The invention described in  19 , wherein the method of capturing cold energy from the ambient environment uses an application-specific system in conjunction with one or more of the following: the Iceberg system, the Ice Cube system, the Ice Tray sub-system, the Ice Ditch system and/or the Tippy Bucket sub-system. 
     
     
         22 . The invention described in  19 , wherein the device to regulate the removal of energy from the cold water or ice is a liquid-to-liquid heat exchanger. 
     
     
         23 . The invention described in  22 , wherein the system uses glycol in the piping between the liquid-to-liquid heat exchanger and the liquid-to-air heat exchanger. 
     
     
         24 . The invention described in  19 , wherein the device to regulate the removal of energy from the cold water or ice is a drain, and the melt-water that goes through the drain travels, first, through a liquid-to-air heat exchanger, and, then, is used to evaporatively cool a large surface such as a roof or parking lot. 
     
     
         25 . An energy storage system and method comprised of creating and storing a large mass of cold water or ice using energy from the ambient environment and storing it for later use; the system being sized so that it is capable of storing more than 3000 M/W-hr of cold energy, either as latent heat of fusion, or as specific heat, wherein the upper temperature limit for heat exchange is 18° C.; a method for covering or insulating the large mass; a liquid-to-air heat exchanger; a control-box to regulate the heat exchanger; a system of piping between the stored large mass of cold water or ice and the heat exchanger; and a device to regulate the removal of energy from the cold water or ice. 
     
     
         26 . The invention described in  25 , wherein the method of capturing cold energy from the ambient environment uses one or more of the following: the Iceberg system, the Ice Cube system, the Ice Tray sub-system, the Ice Ditch system and/or the Tippy Bucket sub-system. 
     
     
         27 . The invention described in  25 , wherein the method of capturing cold energy from the ambient environment uses an application-specific system in conjunction with one or more of the following: the Iceberg system, the Ice Cube system, the Ice Tray sub-system, the Ice Ditch system and/or the Tippy Bucket sub-system. 
     
     
         28 . The invention described in  25 , wherein the device to regulate the removal of energy from the cold water or ice is a liquid-to-liquid heat exchanger. 
     
     
         29 . The invention described in  28 , wherein the system uses glycol in the piping between the liquid-to-liquid heat exchanger and the liquid-to-air heat exchanger. 
     
     
         30 . The invention described in  25 , wherein the device to regulate the removal of energy from the cold water or ice is a drain, and the melt-water that goes through the drain travels, first, through the liquid-to-air heat exchanger, and, then, is used to evaporatively cool a large surface such as a roof or parking lot.