Energy storage and conversion

A method of converting potential energy of a pressurised fluid to electric energy, the method comprising:

• causing the pressurised fluid to flow through a flow chamber along a flow direction, thereby converting the potential energy to kinetic energy of the flowing fluid;
• applying an electric field to the fluid flowing in the flow chamber, the electric field having a field direction with a component along the flow direction, thereby separating positive and negative species of the fluid along the field direction with one of the positive and negative charged species being biased to move in a direction having a component in the flow direction and the other one of the positive and negative charged species being biased to move in a direction having a component in a direction opposite the flow direction;
• collecting at least a fraction of one or each of the positive and negative charged species at a respective current collector;
• and
• drawing a current from one of the current collectors to provide electrical energy to a load.

A method of converting potential energy of a pressurised fluid to electric energy, the method comprising:

• causing the pressurised fluid to flow through a flow chamber along a flow direction, thereby converting the potential energy to kinetic energy of the flowing fluid;
• applying an electric field to the fluid flowing in the flow chamber with an electric field generator;
• collecting at least a fraction of one or each of the positive and negative charged species at a respective current collector;
• and
• drawing a current from one of the current collectors to provide electrical energy to a load.