Methods for meeting localized peak loads in buildings and urban centers

A method for managing thermal storage capability of a building, the method comprising:

• blowing air, after it has been determined that the building is entering a time of peak energy load, the air being blown at a first temperature through a thermal storage bed comprising a number of packed beds;
• the thermal storage bed having thermal energy stored therein;
• permitting air at the first temperature to absorb heat from the thermal storage bed, thereby heating the air to a second temperature;
• and
• circulating the air at the second temperature to one of the building or one or more thermo-electric devices;
• wherein the thermal energy has been stored in the thermal storage bed by:
• (a) initially injecting fluid, the fluid being used in a heat and mass transfer operation, into a first packed bed from a first number of packed beds;
• said first packed bed being an input packed bed;
• a sensor being disposed between each consecutive one of the number of packed beds from the number of packed beds;
• exit of the fluid being enabled a second number of packed beds away from and along a flow path including the input packed bed;
• a packed bed the second number of packed beds away from the input packed bed being an output packed bed;
• (b) sensing, utilizing the sensor between the input packed bed and a consecutive packed bed, a quantity representative of the heat and mass transfer operation;
• (c) transferring, if output of the sensor disposed between the input packed bed and a next packed bed in the flow path exceeds a predetermined sensor output, injection of fluid from the input packed bed to the next packed bed in the flow path, referred to as a successor packed bed, the input packed bed becoming isolated, and transferring the exit of fluid from the output packed bed to a packed bed succeeding the output packed bed and next to the output packed bed, referred to as a follower packed bed;
• wherein, when output of the sensor disposed between the input packed bed and a next packed bed in the flow path exceeds a predetermined sensor output, the input packed bed is taken out of the flow path and fluid inlet injects fluid directly into the successor packed bed;
• wherein the follower packed bed was not previously in the flow path;
• the successor packed bed becoming the input packed bed and the follower packed bed becoming the output packed bed;
• wherein, since the fluid is injected into the input packed bed and exits from the output packed bed, flow is in a series connection from the input packed bed to the output packed bed;
• (d) Repeating steps (b) and (c) until the output packed bed is a last packed bed from the first number of packed beds.