Free leccy in Germany

[Andrew]

for Brians benefit, this is a link to an article on zero hedge about the stormy weather in Germany recently, causing too much wind-powered electricity to be available.

[Tim Streater]

Well we may need it. But as keeps being pointed out, we ain't gonna get it.

[Brian Gaff]

This of course is why we need some new efficient way to store it.

However when we get windy weather our turbines are stopped as if they let them run they have an awful habit of falling to pieces. Brian

[Adrian Caspersz]

In the height of the windmill tower, construct a very tall strong metal spring. Secure the bottom end and have have the other wound taut by the blades of the windmill.

At night, secure the top and unwind the bottom end into the shaft of a generator.

Simples.

Some employment for failed garage door re-installation specialists ;-)

[Chris Hogg]

Before the widespread use of electric power in offshore lighthouses, the lens was rotated by a clockwork motor powered by a heavy falling weight, which descended the height of the tower and had to be manually wound up several times per shift by the duty keeper, much like in an old long-case clock but rather larger. Such a system could easily be adapted for wind turbines, with the minor problem that you'd need an effing great weight to store any practical amount of energy. But never mind, it's a nice green solution.

[Thomas Prufer]

Been thought of: "Gravity Storage (also known as Hydraulic Rock Storage)" is what they call it...

I want one, a small one, like something from a Bond movie, right in back, over there under the birdbath.

Thomas Prufer

[Tjoepstil]

A true cat bellers solution!

[Tim Streater]

I point this out to Brian with monotonous regularity, but he still trots it out from time to time as if from tablets of stone.

[Tim Streater]

Are these weights storing energy or just balancing the roadway. If the latter then relatively little energy needed to raise/lower them.

[Max Demian]

Tower Bridge has used weights to store the energy to raise the bascules since the 19th Century. They operate by hydraulics and one of the purposes of the towers is to house the mechanism - originally powered by steam engines each end of the bridge: now electric motors.

[Tim Watts]

And at one point, powered by the London Hydraulic Main as a backup.

[Max Demian]

They must be to store energy from their location. The roadways will be balanced by the giant quarter cogwheels housed under the towers. It still must require quite a lot of energy to move them.

[Steve Walker]

The two sections of roadway each have counterbalance weights.

The roadways/weights are tilted using hydraulic drives.

So that the steam engines that drove the pumps didn't have to be massive or the bridge be raised extremely slowly, they pumped water into an accumulator over a period of time, in advance. IIFR, the accumulator consisted of raising a 100 ton weight on a column of water. When the bridge needed to be raised, the weight provided pressurised water for lifting the bridge.

Today they use electric motors and oil driven motors to drive the pinions without the accumulator.

SteveW

[Vir Campestris]

Have they built one, or is it just vapourware?

Andy