Technology Available for Licensing

Case 14188

Offshore Energy Harvesting, Storage and Power Generation System

Keywords:

Energy storage, hydroturbines, hydropower, wind turbines, wave energy

Applications:

Submerged mechanical energy storage device for offshore wind turbines

Problem:

Intermittency of wind energy supply from wind turbines

Technology:

This invention is a system for simultaneously anchoring floating offshore energy harvesting machines, such as wind turbines and wave energy machines, storing excess energy harvested, and then generating continuous power to meet baseload demands. It consists of a subsea structure with a chamber that is anchored to the seafloor, by either gravity or piles, to resist mooring cable loads on the supporting floating structure used for the energy harvesting machines. The chambers are constructed from precast concrete. The excess power during peak energy harvesting is used to pump water from the subsea structure to store potential energy. Power is generated during periods of low energy harvesting as water is allowed backdrive the pumps as it flows into the subsea structure.

Advantages:

• Combines energy harvesting and energy storage mechanisms
• Not specific to any one type of energy harvester

Inventors:

Professor Alexander Slocum (Department of Mechanical Engineering, MIT)

Intellectual Property:

U.S. Patent Application Number 13/039364, filed on March 3, 2011

Publications:

N/A

Please contact: Christopher R. Noble MIT Technology Licensing Officer 1 Cambridge Center, Kendall Square, NE18-501 Cambridge, Massachusetts 02142-1601

Email: crn@mit.edu Tel: 617-253-6966 Fax: 617–258-6790 Website: http://tlo.mit.edu