65 Leo Goldstein Airborne Wind Energy Labs 97 South Second Str., Ste. 100 San Jose, CA 95113 USA leo.goldstein@awelabs.com www.awelabs.com
Beyond Electricity Generation: AWECS
for Energy Storage and Industrial Processes
Leo Goldstein
Airborne Wind Energy Labs
It is already known (e.g., http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ener-gy.2013.03.087) that airborne wind energy conversion sys-tems can be 10x cheaper than conventional wind turbines for the same electrical power output while being more dependable in the same time.
This presentation proposes airborne conversion of wind energy into energy forms, suitable for storage or for use in in-dustrial processes. The central idea is an AWECS, directly converting wind energy into internal energy of gas. The out-put is hot compressed gas (such as air or steam), which can be further used for energy storage or in industrial processes, currently using fossil fuels as the energy source.
One proposed device is shown in the figure below. It employs multiple pressure cylinders, driven by a belt, attached to the airborne wing’s tether. The wing flies cross wind, as in most modern AWECS. Moderately compressed gas (such as air, water steam, argon etc.) is injected into the cylinder in the beginning of the stroke; the piston, engaged by the belt, com-presses the gas further; hot compressed gas exits through a valve as the output from this process.
Hot compressed gas can be further used to charge an energy storage device of thermal type (e.g. one using molten salt or hot and cold storages.)
The stored energy can be recovered and converted into elec-tricity in the times, when the wind is absent. Thus an AWECS
farm, combining “conventional” airborne wind-to-electricity systems with energy storage and recovery systems like the one proposed, can ensure a firm capacity and eliminate in-termittence – the inherent disadvantage of the wind ener-gy systems.
Hot air or steam produced as described above can be also used as the energy source in manufacturing fertiliz-ers or production of liquid fuels, e.g. synthetic fuel from natural gas.
Thus the airborne wind energy can become a significant factor in reducing consumption of fossil fuels besides electricity generation.
