U.S. patent application number 10/648161 was filed with the patent office on 2004-02-26 for battery storage for grid scale power within rights-of-way.
Invention is credited to McCombs, P. Roger.
Application Number | 20040036360 10/648161 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 26923733 |
Filed Date | 2004-02-26 |
United States Patent
Application |
20040036360 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
McCombs, P. Roger |
February 26, 2004 |
Battery storage for grid scale power within rights-of-way
Abstract
A plurality of electrical storage devices such as batteries
capable of alternately storing and discharging electricity are
connected to the power grid within existing rights of way. The
electrical storage devices are batteries that may be alternately
charged during periods of low power consumption and discharged
during periods of high power consumption. In this manner, the power
generating facilities can be operated at constant, or near constant
generation, thereby optimizing the efficiency and productivity of
the power generation. Significant amounts of power can then be
stored within these batteries throughout the grid, thereby allowing
the grid to meet peak loads by discharging the stored power during
periods of high demand. Additionally, the placement of these
batteries within existing rights of way allow the existing grid to
be retrofitted to deliver more power without the need for costly
and time consuming negotiations for new rights of way.
Inventors: |
McCombs, P. Roger;
(Richland, WA) |
Correspondence
Address: |
Douglas E. McKinley, Jr.
PO Box 202
Richland
WA
99352
US
|
Family ID: |
26923733 |
Appl. No.: |
10/648161 |
Filed: |
August 25, 2003 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
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10648161 |
Aug 25, 2003 |
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09947090 |
Aug 31, 2001 |
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6621181 |
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60229918 |
Sep 1, 2000 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
307/46 ; 307/65;
307/66 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H02J 3/32 20130101; H02G
7/00 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
307/46 ; 307/65;
307/66 |
International
Class: |
H02J 001/12; H02J
003/32; H02J 007/00 |
Claims
I claim:
1) A method for improving the performance of an electrical power
distribution grid, said grid utilizing existing rights of way to
traverse real property, comprising the steps of a. providing a
plurality of electrical storage devices capable of alternately
storing and discharging electricity, b. locating the electrical
storage devices within the existing rights of way, and c.
connecting said storage devices to said grid.
2) The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of locating at
least some of said electrical storage devices within new rights of
way granted to expand said grid.
3) The method of claim 1 wherein said existing rights of way are
selected from the group consisting of gas line rights-of-way, power
line rights-of-way, substation rights-of-way, petroleum
rights-of-way, communications rights-of-way, road rights-of-way,
water rights-of-way, sewer rights-of-way, railroad rights-of-way,
and combinations thereof
4) The method of claim 1 wherein said electrical storage devices
are placed within the rights of way for electric transmission poles
utilized in said grid.
5) The method of claim 5 wherein said electrical storage devices
are placed within said electrical transmission poles.
Description
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application claims priority to provisional Patent
Application No. 60/229,918, filed Sep. 1, 2000, entitled BATTERY
STORAGE FOR GRID SCALE POWER WITHIN RIGHTS-OF-WAY by Philip Roger
McCombs, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by
this reference.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] Current shortages of electric power are causing concern and
economic disruption within many industrialized countries. For
example, within the past year, many parts of California have
experienced power shortages where electrical utilities were
compelled to turn off service to their customers in what have been
termed "rolling blackouts" or "rolling brownouts." The cost of
these disruptions in service can be significant. For example, it
has been estimated that the cost of shutting down a semiconductor
manufacturing facility due to inadequate electrical power can run
into millions of dollars per hour.
[0003] Many factors have been blamed for the shortage of electrical
power. One culprit is a shortage of deliverable power. i.e.; while
generation capabilities exist to meet total demand, the supply is
insufficient to meet demand at certain peak load hours such as the
hottest part of the day during summer months or the coldest part of
the day during winter months. Many experts and governmental
officials propose constructing additional generation plants in
order to meet these peak load needs. However, new generation plants
are costly and require a long lead-time to obtain necessary
permits. Further, environmental and other concerns often require
new electrical power generation facilities to be located
considerable distances from the urban areas where the power is
ultimately consumed. This creates another problem exacerbating
electrical power shortages; an insufficient transmission
infrastructure.
[0004] Currently, much of the power generated in the United States
is transported across electrical power lines placed property that
is not owned by the owner of the electrical power lines.
Transmission towers, power poles and the like instead utilize
easements, or rights of way, to allow their placement on property.
Building additional capacity to transport additional power thus
often requires the construction of new infrastructure which
traverses a patchwork of different property owners. Rights of way
must often be separately negotiated with each individual owner, a
process which is both time consuming and expensive.
[0005] Accordingly, there is a need for methods and devices that
allow the expansion of the power carrying capacity of the existing
electrical grid without the need to build expensive new
infrastructure. There is a further need for methods and devices
that allow electrical power transmission to more effectively
balance the generating capabilities with electrical power
demand.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0006] Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to
provide a method for improving the performance of an electrical
power distribution grid, wherein the grid utilizes existing rights
of way to traverse real property. This objective is met by
providing a plurality of electrical storage devices capable of
alternately storing and discharging electricity located within
existing rights of way, and connecting those storage devices to the
grid. Preferably, while not meant to be limiting, the electrical
storage devices are batteries that may be alternately charged
during periods of low power consumption and discharged during
periods of high power consumption. In this manner, the power
generating facilities can be operated at constant, or near constant
generation, thereby optimizing the efficiency and productivity of
the power generation. Significant amounts of power can then be
stored within these batteries throughout the grid, thereby allowing
the grid to meet peak loads by discharging the stored power during
periods of high demand. Additionally, the placement of these
batteries within existing rights of way allow the existing grid to
be retrofitted to deliver more power without the need for costly
and time consuming negotiations for new rights of way.
Rights-of-way as described in the present invention include, but
are not limited to, those geographic areas designated through a
permit granted by local or regional or national authority for use
in certain industries for specified uses.
[0007] The types of right-of-way preferably utilized for the
practice of the present invention for battery storage placement
include, but are not limited to, gas line rights-of-way, power line
rights-of-way, substation rights-of-way, petroleum rights-of-way,
communications rights-of-way (such as fiber-optic or telephone),
road rights-of-way, water rights-of-way, sewer rights-of-way, and
railroad rights-of-way. The most rapid beneficial use of the
present invention may be achieved by the use of existing rights of
way. However, as new infrastructure is put in place, the benefits
and advantages of the present invention may find further utility in
utilizing new rights of way for the placement of batteries or other
electrical storage devices. It is thus a further object of the
present invention to locate at least some of the electrical storage
devices within new rights of way that may be granted from time to
time to expand the grid.
[0008] It is a further object of the present invention to utilize
existing rights of way selected from the group consisting of gas
line rights-of-way, power line rights-of-way, substation
rights-of-way, petroleum rights-of-way, communications
rights-of-way, road rights-of-way, water rights-of-way, sewer
rights-of-way, railroad rights-of-way, and combinations thereof
[0009] It is a further object of the present invention to place the
electrical storage devices within the rights of way for electric
transmission poles utilized in said grid.
[0010] It is a further object of the present invention to place the
electrical storage devices within existing electrical transmission
poles.
[0011] These and other objects of the present invention may be
better understood and appreciated by reference to the following
drawings and detailed description of the invention.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0012] FIG. 1 is a schematic illustrating a standard lattice
composite designed by W. Brandt Goldsworthy & Associates;
manufactured by Strongwell Ebert, or alternatively steel towers
within an existing electricity transmission right-of-way.
[0013] FIG. 2 is a schematic illustrating a gas line right-of-way
with placement of batteries within transmission poles retrofitted
onto the existing right-of-way.
[0014] FIG. 3 is a schematic illustrating an oil pipeline
right-of-way with placement of batteries within transmission
poles.
[0015] FIG. 4 is a schematic illustrating a multi-use right-of-way
with placement of batteries within transmission poles.
[0016] FIG. 5 is an electricity switchyard/substation illustrating
placement of batteries.
[0017] FIG. 6 is a transformer right-of-way illustrating placement
of batteries within transmission poles.
[0018] FIG. 7 is a schematic illustration of an H-structure
transmission tower with placement of batteries on transformer
platform.
[0019] FIG. 8 is a schematic illustration of the detail of
placement of storage batteries within the composite pole described
in U.S. Pat. No. 5,175,971, the entire contents of which are
incorporated herein by this reference.
[0020] FIG. 9 is a schematic illustration of various magnetically
levitated high-speed transportation system support configurations
with the battery storage system imbedded into the guide beam,
support system, or foundation.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0021] As shown in FIG. 1, batteries are placed underground in a
location centrally placed at the base of a lattice tower. This
placement allows the land between towers to continue to be used,
for example, by farmers, who may plant crops or graze cattle or
make other use of such land between towers. In FIG. 1, the
batteries 11 are connected to the grid via conductor battery leads
15 tied to overhead conductors 17. The batteries 11 are controlled
electronically by an electronic control mechanism 19, which causes
the batteries to store electricity or discharge electricity.
[0022] As shown in FIG. 2, within a gas line right-of-way 21 a
buried gas pipeline 23 is installed. The instant invention
envisions placement of composite non-conductive electricity
transmission poles, (such as the Shakespeare pole), connected to a
standard electricity transmission line 27. Within or adjacent to
the base of the poles 22 storage batteries 27 are installed in
accordance with the instant invention.
[0023] As shown in FIG. 3, an aboveground oil pipeline 31 is
permitted and in place along the existing right-of-way 33. The
instant invention envisions retrofit of existing right-of-way, for
example, in the case of aboveground oil pipeline, placement of
batteries 35 underground within the rights-of-way and connected to
transmission line 37. The batteries are controlled by electronic
mechanism 39 and typically store electrical energy during non-peak
load hours with discharge of Electricity into the transmission grid
during peak load hours. The discharge of energy is envisioned to be
metered, for example, at the point of connection of the
transmission line 37 to the grid.
[0024] As shown in FIG. 4, an existing right-of-way which has, for
example, a right-of-way), contains multiple-use configuration, such
as: water line 41, power line 43, telephone line 45,
television-type/communic- ation cable 47, and the like. The instant
invention envisions placement of storage batteries 42 underground
within the right-of-way and connected to the power line 43 and
controlled by electronic battery storage control mechanism 44 such
that the batteries typically store electrical energy during
non-peak load hours with discharge of electricity into the
transmission grid during peak load hours.
[0025] In FIG. 5, a substation 51 exists on permitted right-of-way.
The instant invention envisions placement of storage batteries 53
at the perimeter 54 of the permitted substation right-of-way. This
placement optimizes use of the right-of-way while minimizing
interference of battery storage capability within the
electromagnetic field of the yard. The batteries 53 are connected
to control mechanisms 55 and transmission lines 57 as
demonstrated.
[0026] In FIG. 6, a transformer 61 is located on a standard,
concrete transformer pad alongside the roadway and adjacent to a
building 62 (see insert) served with electricity by the
transformer. The instant invention envisions placement partially
underground of battery storage 62 connected to electronic control
mechanism 63 and connected to the transformer by conductor 64. This
placement allows the battery to serve a dual function of
storage/discharge of energy in a non- peak/peak load manner as
described above as well as to serve the function of eliminating
voltage irregularities often found in electricity delivered
directly from the transmission grid. The instant invention
envisions therefore, the delivery of "premium power" to those
customers for whom such "clean" electricity is important because of
the customer's business such as manufacturing of electronic parts,
etc. Therefore, the instant invention envisions the placement of
such batteries on existing transformer platforms and serving such
customers.
[0027] As shown in FIGS. 7a and 7b, the standard H-structure
transmission tower 71 has placement of storage batteries 73 on a
transformer-type platform 75. The instant invention envisions the
replacement of existing transformers on platforms through the
placement of the batteries and control mechanisms of the instant
invention. This configuration serves a dual purpose in that the
electrical energy can be stored and discharged as described above
and also can be rendered LE clean"--meaning that the irregularities
in the voltage levels "peaks and valleys" often seen in electricity
delivered from the grid are eliminated. The instant invention
envisions therefore, the delivery of "premium power" to those
customers for whom such "clean" electricity is important because of
the customer's business such as manufacturing of electronic parts,
etc. Therefore, tile instant invention envisions the placement of
such batteries on existing transformer platforms and serving such
customers.
[0028] As shown in FIG. 8, the composite grooved pole described in
U.S. Pat. No. 5,175,971, the entire contents of which are
incorporated herein by this reference, is illustrated with details
of battery and control mechanism placement. The area within the
base of the central composite monopoly structure SI houses the
electrolyte fluids 82. The exterior base composite sleeve
foundation 83 houses the dielectric cells 85 within the underground
level location and tile control, monitoring and communications
electronics 84 in the area directly above the battery
component.
[0029] In FIG. 9, the battery storage system 91 is placed within
the guide beam, support structure, or foundation 92 and connected
to the supply conductors 93. The guide beams, supports and the
foundation can be of standard construction or alternatively, made
out of a non-conductive concrete with composite reinforcing rebars.
It is also envisioned that other embodiments are possible wherein
the transmission line and/or the storage can be located in various
other locations within the rail right-of-way in order to maximize
efficiency or safety, etc., and to provide the best performance of
the system, both for train and the associated functions. For
example, other locations are envisioned within the guide beam, the
support structure and foundation. Alternatively, the composite pole
illustrated herein in preceding illustrations can be placed in the
same right-of-way and along side the train support. In this
configuration, the power transmission line, communications line and
wireless antennae and battery storage can be associated with the
line of poles and serve both the needs of the train, train
passengers and surrounding community.
Closure
[0030] While a preferred embodiment of the present invention has
been shown and described, it will be apparent to those skilled in
the art that many changes and modifications may be made without
departing from the invention in its broader aspects. The appended
claims are therefore intended to cover all such changes and
modifications as fall within the true spirit and scope of the
invention.
* * * * *