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| I've long figured a windmill and a propane tank or two could store lots of energy. I figure I'd use a double acting cylinder with the windmill pulling up and a weight pushing down. The up stroke would compress air to an intermediate value and the weight would set the maximum pressure on the second stage of that reciprocating compressor. Automatic pressure regulation. If the stored pressure was as high as needed the weight wouldn't fall, but the chain from the windmill head would just go slack. It would be nice to use the full bore of the cylinder for the low pressure side and the side with the piston rod for the high pressure side. Efficiency would not be great, but once it was assembled, the cost of compressed air would be the annual grease jobs of the windmill head. I figured about 200 psi would be a nice storage pressure well within the ratings of a standard propane tank. And where I needed 100 psi air, I could use a little turbine spinning a generator to charge a battery as a pressure drop device. Maybe a Tesla turbine.
Gerald J. | |
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Storing windmill power
