Combined electrical and thermal renewable/conventional energy storage and on-demand hydro-osmotic power generation methods and systems

Abstract

In one embodiment, a renewable energy generation and storage system and method is provided for storing both electrical and thermal energy that includes a forward osmosis system for drawing water across a membrane such that the water drawn across the membrane is used to dilute an osmotic ionic draw solution and the diluted osmotic ionic draw solution is used to drive a hydro-turbine; an FO-EED separation system for separating the drawn water from the ionic draw solution using renewable electrical energy and an osmotic polymer introduced in the FO-EED system during use, so that the ionic draw solution is re-concentrated by using electrical energy, such that the water from the ionic solution combines with the concentrated osmotic polymer; a coalescer configured to receive compressed CO2 to separate the water from the polymer by having the polymer absorb the compressed CO2 during use; and using thermal energy for separating the CO2 from the polymer, thereby regenerating a concentrated polymer solution.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.