DE202023100781U1 - Small storage power plants for energy storage - Google Patents

Abstract

Small storage power plant in the manner of a water storage power plant comprising:
- a reservoir (SB);
- a penstock (D) attached to the bottom of the reservoir (SB);
- a turbine (T) into which the penstock (D) opens,
- An electricity generator that is coupled to the turbine (T), the difference in height between the water inlet in the penstock (D) and the turbine inlet being at least 40 meters, preferably at least 50 meters and preferably at most 600 meters, particularly preferably at most 100 meters.

Description

The present invention relates to small storage power plants based on water storage power plants.

It is currently desired to implement the so-called energy transition in the shortest possible time. Wind and sun should bear the brunt. However, the problem here is that electricity can be generated from wind and sun, for example via wind power plants or solar panels, but this energy can only be generated with (sufficient) wind or light and is therefore not available permanently, but only temporarily and appropriate storage facilities are required. Since there are not enough affordable (secondary) batteries for storing electricity and the raw materials (economically and/or ecologically justifiable) are probably not available in large quantities, other ways of storing energy must be found or used. One possibility for energy storage is the principle of pumped storage plants. Pumped storage plants require large height differences between the reservoir and the turbine outlet and are almost impossible to enforce in Germany because of their interference with nature. In addition, there is no distribution across the area, and in particular they cannot be technically implemented in the lowlands.

The object of the present invention was to provide small storage power plants that can be installed almost anywhere in Germany.

This problem was solved by the objects presented in the claims and the following description.

• - ein Speicherbecken;
• - eine Druckrohrleitung, die unten an dem Speicherbecken angebracht ist, bevorzugt am tiefsten Punkt des Speicherbeckens;
• - eine Turbine, in die die Druckrohrleitung von oben kommend mündet;
• - einen Stromgenerator, der an die Turbine angekoppelt ist;

wobei der Höhenunterschied zwischen Wassereinlass in die Druckrohrleitung und Turbineneinlass mindestens 40 Meter, bevorzugt mindestens 50 Meter beträgt. Das Speicherbecken ist also in jedem Falle deutlich über der Turbine befindlich angeordnet, um Schwerkraft und hydrodynamische Effekte hinreichend nutzen zu können.
Dabei ist zu berücksichtigen, dass die Kraftwerke im Prinzip mit zunehmendem Höhenunterschied zwischen Wassereinlass in die Druckrohrleitung und Turbineneinlass effektiver werden. Entsprechend ist eine obere Grenze des Höhenunterschieds im Prinzip nur durch die vor Ort vorliegenden Bedingungen gegeben (eine künstliche Erhöhung des Speicherbeckens über Bodenniveau oder eine künstliche Tieferlegung der Turbine sind in der Regel ökonomisch und ökologisch nicht sinnvoll. In Varianten der vorliegenden Erfindung ergeben sich Höhenunterschiede zwischen Wassereinlass in die Druckrohrleitung und Turbineneinlass von höchstens 1000 Meter, oder höchstens 900 Meter, oder höchstens 800 Meter, oder höchstens 700 Meter, oder höchstens 600 Meter, oder höchstens 500 Meter, oder höchstens 400 Meter, oder höchstens 300 Meter oder höchstens 200 Meter, oder höchstens 150 Meter.The small storage power plants according to the invention are power plants of the water storage power plant type and include:

• - a reservoir;
• - a penstock attached to the bottom of the reservoir, preferably at the lowest point of the reservoir;
• - A turbine into which the penstock opens from above;
• - a power generator coupled to the turbine;

wherein the difference in height between the water inlet in the penstock and the turbine inlet is at least 40 meters, preferably at least 50 meters. Thus, the reservoir is in any case clearly arranged above the turbine, in order to be able to use gravity and hydrodynamic effects sufficiently.
It must be taken into account here that the power plants in principle become more efficient as the height difference between the water inlet in the penstock and the turbine inlet increases. Accordingly, an upper limit of the height difference is in principle only given by the local conditions (artificially raising the reservoir above ground level or artificially lowering the turbine are usually not economically and ecologically sensible. In variants of the present invention, there are height differences between water inlet into the penstock and turbine inlet of not more than 1000 meters, or not more than 900 meters, or not more than 800 meters, or not more than 700 meters, or not more than 600 meters, or not more than 500 meters, or not more than 400 meters, or not more than 300 meters or not more than 200 meters, or at most 150 meters.

The turbines used according to the invention are conventional turbines as are known and suitable for operation with/driven by water. They only have to be adapted in terms of their dimensions to the power plants according to the invention.
Via the generators coupled to the turbines, electricity is generated in a known manner from the rotation of the turbine caused by the water.
Within the scope of the present invention, the power generator coupled to the turbine is also preferably connected to a power storage device (accumulator/secondary battery(ies)) or to the power grid.

In some variants, a transformer can also be interposed between the generator and the power grid in order to adapt the output voltage/the output current to the grid voltage/grid current.

In preferred configurations of the present invention, the small storage power plants according to the invention additionally include at least one deep basin. It is preferred here if the deep basin and storage basin have volumes that are adapted to one another, that is to say that the (total) deep basin volume is at least as large as the (total) storage basin volume.

In further preferred configurations of the present invention, the small storage power plants according to the invention also include at least one return line and at least one return pump. The return line is connected to the deep basin and the storage basin. The water in the deep basin can be returned to the storage basin via the return line. For this purpose, the return pump is included connected to the return line, with the return pump being selected in such a way that it has sufficient power to pump the water from the deep reservoir to the higher reservoir. Instead of one pump, several pumps can also be used, optionally also at different points in the return line. This can be advantageous, for example, if the pumps are to be supplied with electricity via individual power supply elements, such as smaller, local wind power plants (wind turbines).

The penstocks installed in the power plants according to the invention and any return lines are in principle conventional lines suitable for this purpose. All that has to be ensured is that these can withstand the (internal) pressures that occur and are sufficiently insensitive to the liquids being passed through and the ambient conditions. These necessities are known to the person skilled in the art and the corresponding lines can be selected on the basis of his specialist knowledge, if necessary on the basis of simple preliminary tests.

In some variants of the present invention, the capacity of the deep basin is greater than the capacity of the reservoir. This ensures that in any case sufficient water is available to fill the reservoir, even if the latter is still draining water.

In still further preferred embodiments of the present invention, a closed water circuit is formed in the small storage power plants according to the invention between the storage basin and the deep basin, in particular by the storage basin, penstock, deep basin and return line. In this context, a closed cycle initially only means that the water can be circulated, but the individual elements, in particular the pools, can be open (open to the atmosphere). In some variants of the present invention, however, it is preferred if both the lines and the tanks are closed to the environment. This has the advantage that contamination of the water is largely ruled out and therefore less cleaning and maintenance is required. Furthermore, this avoids an excessive loss of water, in particular due to evaporation, so that, in particular at higher temperatures, less (or no) water has to be refilled in order to maintain the water content at the desired level.

Regardless of whether the water-containing or water-carrying elements of the power plants according to the invention are open to the atmosphere, some embodiments of the present invention have the possibility of adding additional water or draining water; for this purpose, the power plants according to the invention have water metering devices and/or water discharge devices in some embodiments. Water dosing devices can in particular be connections to the water supply, to rivers and/or lakes, so that the storage tank can be (to) filled with water. Water drainage devices can in particular be connections to the local water disposal such as canals, rivers and/or lakes, so that the deep basin can be emptied.
In other variants, the reservoir can be provided with a water overflow, which is ideally connected to local drainage options (canals, streams, rivers, lakes).

In addition, water extraction points (tap) can be provided on individual, several or all of the penstock, return line and/or basin of the power plants according to the invention. As a result, for example, irrigation can be made possible in the vicinity of the respective power plant according to the invention, if this is desired. If some or more (or all) of these water extraction points are configured accordingly, they can also be connected to appropriate hoses, for example fire water hoses, so that the power plants according to the invention in this variant can serve as a fire water supply in an emergency.

In some variants of the present invention, the return pump(s) is (are) supplied with electricity via small, local power supply devices, preferably wind power plants, in particular wind turbines, or solar collectors. These power supply devices can also be designed so that they can be switched off, so that the pump can be supplied with power either from them or from the local power grid. Such local power supply devices allow the water to be pumped back from the deep reservoir into the storage reservoir in a particularly favorable manner.

1. a) den Strompreis zu überwachen, bevorzugt durch kontinuierlichen oder periodischen Abruf von Strompreisinformationen über eine Internetverbindung;
2. b) bei einem über einem Schwellenwert liegenden Strompreis (Hochpreis) Wasser aus dem Speicherbecken abzulassen und durch die Druckrohrleitung und die Turbine, in der mittels eines angekoppelten Generators aus dem strömenden Wasser Strom erzeugt wird, in das Tiefbecken strömen zu lassen;
3. c) bei einem unter einem Schwellenwert liegenden Strompreis (Tiefpreis) Wasser aus dem Tiefbecken zurück in das Speicherbecken zu pumpen.

In further preferred variants of the present invention, the small storage power plants include an automatic controller, preferably a computer system, wherein the controller is configured, at least

1. a) to monitor the electricity price, preferably by continuously or periodically retrieving electricity price information via an internet connection;
2. b) if the electricity price is above a threshold value (high price), water from the Drain the reservoir and let it flow through the penstock and the turbine, in which electricity is generated from the flowing water by means of a generator coupled to it, into the deep basin;
3. c) to pump water from the deep reservoir back into the storage reservoir when the electricity price is below a threshold value (low price).

In the context of the present invention, a storage basin is usually spoken of, which is preferred, but in variants this can also be subdivided into a plurality of sub-basins or sections. These sub-pools or sections can then be configured to be drained separately from others, one at a time. This is particularly advantageous for the configurations in which the generation of electricity takes place in a targeted manner by means of automatic control, since an even more precise metering of the water quantity can then take place.

Correspondingly, several deep basins or a deep basin divided into sections can also be used. This is particularly advantageous if it is not known how much water will flow through the penstock/pump, for example if a storage reservoir is being used, but this can be fed continuously with water (e.g. from a river) and is currently generating electricity continuously , i.e. flow is set.

In some variants of the present invention, the water circuit can be configured such that water is pumped up from the deep basin, but is not collected in the storage basin, but is fed directly back into the penstock, so that the turbine operates continuously. This variant is particularly suitable if the on-site return pump is supplied with electricity independently of other power lines (if, for example, unusual geographical conditions allow the operation of a single local wind turbine, but generally so little wind power can be used that the electricity price is in the high-price segment .).

The power plants according to the invention preferably also include at least one electricity meter, which measures the power generation by and the power consumption of the respective power plant according to the invention. This enables precise monitoring of the power balance and efficiency.

In preferred variants, the computer system of the automatic control includes, in addition to the actual computer for the control and the control program (or control programs running) running on it, the necessary control mechanism for controlling the various necessary components such as valves or gate valves as well as necessary measuring devices, in particular for measuring the water flow, water level and the like.

In the context of the present invention, the power plants according to the invention are essentially described in connection with water, but could in principle also be operated with other liquids.

The power plants according to the invention are preferably operated with water, for example selected from tap water, river water, rainwater, power plant waste water, service water or mixtures thereof.

The penstocks of the power plants according to the invention are designed in principle, starting from the reservoir and sloping towards the turbine. The exact angle of inclination is usually determined by the natural conditions (e.g. geographical, scenic) on site. The pressure pipelines preferably have angles of between 0° and 70° to the vertical (inclusive in each case). In variants, angles between 30° and 60°, between 40° and 50°, or also of about 45° to the vertical (included in each case) are also possible. It is also possible that the penstocks have different inclines seen over their course, for example first a little flatter course, then a little steeper, or vice versa (or more than two different inclines); this can be the case, for example, when there is partly rocky ground and partly other ground below the power plant. For the cases in which several angles of inclination are given, the above preferred figures in variants relate independently of one another to the mean angle of inclination and the respective individual ones.

Otherwise, the small storage power plants according to the invention can have the usual components for hydroelectric power plants, if desired and/or necessary, for example rakes/filters before the water inlet into the penstock, diffuser at the water outlet from the derivation

Also covered by the present invention is a method for utilizing fluctuating electricity prices and/or fluctuating availability of electricity using a water storage power plant.

1. A) Überwachung des Strompreises, bevorzugt durch kontinuierlichen oder periodischen Abruf von Strompreisinformationen über das Internet;
2. B) bei einem über einem Schwellenwert liegenden Strompreis (Hochpreis) Ablassen von Wasser aus einem Speicherbecken und Strömenlassen des Wassers durch Druckrohrleitung und Turbine, worin mittels mindestens eines angekoppelten Generators aus dem strömenden Wasser Strom erzeugt wird, in ein Tiefbecken;
3. C) bei einem unter einem Schwellenwert liegenden Strompreis (Tiefpreis) Rückpumpen von Wasser aus dem Tiefbecken zurück in das Speicherbecken,

wobei als Wasserspeicherkraftwerke bevorzugt die vorstehend beschriebenen erfindungsgemäßen Kleinspeicherkraftwerke eingesetzt werden, insbesondere um die Schritte B) und C) durchzuführen.This method according to the invention comprises the following steps:

1. A) monitoring of the electricity price, preferably through continuous or periodic retrieval of electricity price information via the Internet;
2. B) if the price of electricity is above a threshold value (high price), draining water from a reservoir and allowing the water to flow through penstock and turbine, in which electricity is generated from the flowing water by means of at least one generator coupled, into a deep basin;
3. C) if the electricity price is below a threshold value (low price), water is pumped back from the deep reservoir back into the storage reservoir,

the above-described small storage power plants according to the invention preferably being used as water storage power plants, in particular in order to carry out steps B) and C).

Correspondingly, the subject of the present invention is also the use of the small storage power plants according to the invention to generate electricity and/or to utilize fluctuating electricity prices and/or fluctuating electricity availability.

The small storage power plants preferred according to the invention based on pumped storage plants only require a height difference between storage reservoir and deep reservoir of at least 40 meters, preferably at least 50 meters. In some variants of the present invention, the small storage power plants based on pumped storage plants are located for economic reasons near power plants or existing power lines that can absorb the capacity, possibly also large electricity consumers such as factories.

The small storage power plant according to the invention has at least one second, lower-lying basin (deep basin) in particular for cases in which there is no body of water (lake, river, etc.) available for the small storage power plant to discharge the water that has run off.
In these variants, alternating operation can take place using a second water basin (deep basin). When there is a low demand for electricity, the raised basin (storage basin) is filled and emptied when there is a demand for electricity to generate electricity.
This also has the advantage that this water is then available in a purified form. The difficulties of discharging into existing bodies of water would also be avoided.

Within the scope of the present invention, in addition to the known types of construction made of steel or concrete, lightweight constructions such as grids made of steel or plastic with a foil lining are also suitable as basins (both for storage basins and for deep basins). The latter is preferred in variants of the present invention. If the terrain is suitable, pond-like natural pools with watertight walls can in principle also be used in some variants of the present invention. Assuming that a thousand such storage basins are built in Germany, this would mean that the output of a large nuclear power plant could be called up in a short time without major interventions in nature and the landscape. In addition, with better alternatives, dismantling would be possible without much effort

In addition to the investment costs, the profitability of the present invention results from the price difference between the electricity in the low-price segment and the electricity in the high-price segment. For example, when the sun is shining and/or the wind is blowing, the price of electricity is usually low; Conversely, for example in the so-called dark doldrums (no wind and/or no sun) or usually also in the winter months, the electricity price is correspondingly high at other times. Corresponding fluctuations also exist during the year, the day and night difference, on weekends, public holidays, during vacation periods, etc. The frequency of electricity demand also has an influence. In general, it can be said that excess electricity means lower electricity prices and electricity shortages mean high electricity prices.

If the system is filled with water at times of low electricity (i.e. the water is fed into the storage basin, for example by pumping it back from a deep basin), corresponding amounts of electricity can be “stored” (due to the increased energy stored in the water compared to the turbine) and can be called up at high electricity prices . The special economic efficiency of the small storage power plants according to the invention results from the differential price, i.e. the (electricity) costs for filling the storage basin with water compared to the selling costs (feed-in costs) of the electricity obtained from this water by the turbine.
In addition, the small storage power plants according to the invention (at least if they are operated in sufficient numbers) are also advantageous for grid stability: Excess electricity (a lot of sun, a lot of wind) can be used to fill the water reservoir (i.e. the storage basin) and in the (peak) be retrieved as needed.
Especially for power plant operators with regenerative primary energy, a considerable economic increase can be achieved by using the small storage power plants according to the invention, since the remuneration is sometimes zero when electricity is required and in the case of maximum electricity demand, the payment can also be several 100 euros per MWh.

Unless they are explicitly described in this description, the person skilled in the art can determine the exact design of the power plants according to the invention, such as size, wall thicknesses, materials, etc., based on the on-site conditions (e.g. available area, differences in height, etc.) within the scope of his general specialist knowledge make.

If, in the description of the power plants according to the invention, parts or the entire device are marked as “consisting of”, this is to be understood as referring to the essential components mentioned. Natural or inherent parts such as (further) lines, valves, screws, housings, measuring devices, etc. are not excluded.

Unless explicitly described, the individual parts of the power plants are functionally connected to one another in a known and customary manner.

The various embodiments of the present invention, e.g. - but not exclusively - those of the various dependent claims can be combined with one another in any way, provided that such combinations do not contradict one another.

Example:

A reservoir in the form of a round tank with a diameter of 100 meters and a height of 15 meters results in a water volume of almost 120,000 m ³ . With a height difference of 50 meters (between the water entering the penstock and the water entering the turbine), around 14 MWh of electricity can be "stored".

character list

• 1 zeigt ein erfindungsgemäßes Kleinspeicherkraftwerk nach Art eines Wasserspeicherkraftwerks. Wie man sieht umfasst das Kraftwerk zunächst ein Speicherbecken SB, welches oberhalb der übrigen Bestandteil angeordnet ist und als Energiespeicher fungiert. Bei Energiebedarf kann diese gespeicherte Energie (potentielle Energie) abgerufen werden, indem das in dem Speicherbecken SB gespeicherte Wasser in die Druckrohrleitung D fließen gelassen wird (indem die Verbindung zwischen Speicherbecken und Leitung geöffnet wird). Zwar ist es im Rahmen der vorliegenden Erfindung möglich, das Wasser gedrosselt aus dem Speicherbecken SB in die Druckrohrleitung D fließen zu lassen, jedoch ist es (natürlich) effektiver, die Leitung komplett zu öffnen und das Wasser mit vollem Druck und voller Kapazität in die Druckrohrleitung D fließen zu lassen. Die Druckrohrleitung D mündet dabei in eine Turbine T, in welcher die dem fließenden Wasser innewohnende Energie mittels der Turbinenschaufeln in mechanische Energie umgewandelt wird und dann durch mindestens einen angekoppelten Generator (in der Figur nicht extra dargestellt) in Strom umgewandelt wird. In 1 ist die Druckrohrleitung über die Turbine T hinausgehend dargestellt; dies soll die Ableitung des Wassers darstellen. Das so abzuleitende Wasser hat einen signifikanten Teil seiner Energie in der Turbine T abgegeben. Die Ableitung des Wassers ist in der in 1 dargestellten Variante nicht besonders beschränkt und kann zum Bescheid wie üblich in Flüsse, Seen, andere Gewässer oder Vorratsbecken (zum Beispiel Tiefbecken) erfolgen. Weiterhin ist in der Figur dargestellt, dass an die Turbine T mit angekoppeltem Generator eine Stromleitung S angeschlossen ist. Über diese kann der erzeugte Strom entweder in einen Stromspeicher (Akkumulator) gespeichert werden, dieser also geladen werden, oder zum Beispiel auch direkt ins Stromnetz eingespeichert werden, was in der Figur durch den Strommast M (und die daran angeschlossenen Stromleitungen S des Stromnetzes) illustriert wird. Der stromabwärts der Turbine T angeordnete Teil dient in den meisten Varianten der vorliegenden Erfindung nicht mehr der Energiegewinnung (weil zu wenig effektiv), sondern nur der Wasserverteilung/-abführung. Für den Fall, dass das Speicherbecken SB ein geschlossener Behälter ist, kann unter Umständen eine zusätzliche Druckvorrichtung vorgesehen sein, die das gespeicherte Wasser mit zusätzlichem Druck beaufschlagt, so dass insbesondere bei Ableitung durch die Druckrohrleitung D, das Wasser mit größerer Kraft in Richtung Turbine T strömt.
• 2 zeigt eine weitere erfindungsgemäße Ausgestaltung, wobei diese im Rahmen der vorliegenden Erfindung besonders bevorzugt ist. Der grundlegende Aufbau entsprich dabei demjenigen von 1. Im Unterschied zu 1 jedoch umfasst der Aufbau von 2 ein zusätzliches Tiefbecken TB, in welches das abfließende Wasser nach Durchtritt durch die Turbine T fließt und wo es aufgefangen wird. An das Tiefbecken TB ist eine Rücklaufleitung R angeschlossen, welche das Tiefbecken TB mit dem Speicherbecken SB verbindet. Im Wesentlichen dient die Rücklaufleitung R dazu, das im Tiefbecken aufgefangene Wasser zurück in das Speicherbecken zu leiten (mittels Pumpe); allerdings kann die Rücklaufleitung R zusätzlich auch so konfiguriert sein, dass sie als Überlauf fungieren kann, falls das Speicherbecken SB überfüllt wird. Um das Wasser aus dem Tiefbecken TB zurück in das Speicherbecken SB zu leiten ist die Rücklaufleitung R mit einer Pumpe P verbunden. Die Pumpe P kann dabei im Prinzip eine beliebige Pumpe sein, die ausreichend Leistung hat um das Wasser aus dem Tiefbecken unter Überwindung des Höhenunterschiedes zurück in das Speicherbecken SB zu pumpen. Im Prinzip kann das im Tiefbecken TB aufgefangene Wasser sofort zurück in das Speicherbecken SB gepumpt werden, oder aber, was erfindungsgemäß bevorzugt ist, in dem Tiefbecken TB gesammelt werden und dann bei Bedarf zurück in das Speicherbecken SB gepumpt werden.

The present invention is explained in more detail below with reference to the drawings. The drawings are not to be interpreted as limiting and are not true to scale. The drawings are schematic and furthermore do not contain all the features that conventional devices have, but are reduced to the features essential for the present invention and its understanding, for example screws, connections etc. are not shown or not shown in detail. The same reference symbols indicate the same features in the figures, the description and the claims.

• 1 shows a small storage power plant according to the invention in the manner of a water storage power plant. As can be seen, the power plant initially includes a storage tank SB, which is arranged above the other components and acts as an energy store. When energy is needed, this stored energy (potential energy) can be retrieved by allowing the water stored in reservoir SB to flow into penstock D (by opening the connection between reservoir and pipe). Although it is possible within the scope of the present invention to allow the water to flow throttled from the reservoir SB into the penstock D, it is (of course) more effective to open the line completely and pour the water into the penstock with full pressure and full capacity to let D flow. The pressure pipeline D opens into a turbine T, in which the energy inherent in the flowing water is converted into mechanical energy by means of the turbine blades and then converted into electricity by at least one coupled generator (not shown separately in the figure). In 1 the penstock is shown going beyond the turbine T; this is to represent the drainage of the water. The water to be drained off in this way has given up a significant part of its energy in the turbine T. The drainage of the water is in the in 1 The variant shown is not particularly limited and can be carried out as usual in rivers, lakes, other bodies of water or reservoirs (e.g. deep basins). The figure also shows that a power line S is connected to the turbine T with the generator coupled thereto. The electricity generated can either be stored in an electricity storage device (accumulator), i.e. it can be charged, or it can also be stored directly in the power grid, for example, which is illustrated in the figure by the power pole M (and the power lines S of the power grid connected to it). becomes. In most variants of the present invention, the part arranged downstream of the turbine T is no longer used to generate energy (because it is not effective enough), but only to distribute/dissipate water. In the event that the reservoir SB is a closed container, an additional pressure device can be provided, which applies additional pressure to the stored water, so that, especially when it is discharged through the pressure pipe D, the water is pushed with greater force in the direction of the turbine T flows.
• 2 shows a further embodiment according to the invention, which is particularly preferred within the scope of the present invention. The basic structure corresponds to that of 1 . In contrast to 1 however, the construction of 2 an additional deep basin TB, into which the outflowing water flows after passing through the turbine T and where it is collected. A return line R, which connects the deep reservoir TB to the storage reservoir SB, is connected to the deep reservoir TB. Essentially, the return line R serves to direct the water collected in the deep basin back into the storage basin (by means of a pump); however, in addition, the return line R may also be configured to function as an overflow in the event that the storage basin SB becomes overfilled. The return line R is connected to a pump P in order to direct the water from the deep basin TB back into the storage basin SB. The pump P can in principle be any pump that has sufficient power to pump the water from the deep basin back into the storage basin SB while overcoming the difference in height. In principle, the water collected in the deep reservoir TB can be immediately pumped back into the storage reservoir SB, or, which is preferred according to the invention, collected in the deep reservoir TB and then pumped back into the storage reservoir SB if necessary.

reference list

SB

reservoir

TB

deep basin

T

Turbine (with coupled power generator)

D

penstock (for water)

R

return line (for water)

P

Pump (arranged on or in the return line)

S

power line

M

(electricity) pole

arrows

flow direction (of the water)

Claims (6)

Small storage power plant in the manner of a water storage power plant comprising: - a reservoir (SB); - a penstock (D) attached to the bottom of the reservoir (SB); - a turbine (T) into which the penstock (D) opens, - An electricity generator that is coupled to the turbine (T), the difference in height between the water inlet in the penstock (D) and the turbine inlet being at least 40 meters, preferably at least 50 meters and preferably at most 600 meters, particularly preferably at most 100 meters. small storage power plant claim 1 , characterized in that it additionally comprises at least one deep basin (TB). small storage power plant claim 2 characterized in that it comprises at least one return line (R) and at least one return pump (P). Small storage power plant according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that a closed water circuit is formed between the storage reservoir (SB) and the deep reservoir (TB). Small storage power plant according to one of the claims 3 or 4 characterized in that the return pump or return pumps (R) is or are supplied with electricity via individual electricity suppliers, preferably wind power stations, in particular wind turbines, or solar collectors. Small storage power plant according to one of the claims 3 until 5 characterized in that it comprises an automatic controller configured to at least a) monitor the price of electricity, preferably via an internet connection; b) if the electricity price is above a threshold value (high price), drain water from the storage reservoir (SB) and through the penstock (D) and the turbine (T), in which electricity is generated from the flowing water by means of a generator coupled to it, into the allow deep basins (TB) to flow; c) to pump water from the deep reservoir (TB) back into the storage reservoir (SB) if the electricity price is below a threshold value (low price).

Images