Method of storing solar energy
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Abstract
An amount of photosynthetic biomass such as wood is converted into coal such as charcoal and a substantial amount thereof is permanently stored until the atmospheric CO2 level is reduced to an extent which is unable to cause a greenhouse effect. While a main portion of the charcoal remains in permanent storage, a fraction thereof may be retained prior to or retrieved during or after achievement of the reduction in the atmospheric CO2 level. Such fraction is converted into energy or an energy source, for example hydrogen, in a manner such that thereby the atmospheric CO2 is maintained at a level which does not cause an undesired greenhouse effect.
Claims36
A method of storing solar energy including the steps of:
- storing solar energy by producing photosynthetically an amount of biomass convertible into biomass coal;
- harvesting said amount of photosynthetically produced biomass in which said solar energy is stored;
- regrowing, between two successive harvesting operations, and thereby further storing solar energy in an amount of biomass which corresponds to said harvested amount of photosynthetically produced biomass in which said solar energy is stored;
- converting into biomass coal said harvested amount of photosynthetically produced biomass into biomass in which said solar energy is stored;
- and
- durably and retrievably storing said biomass coal in which said solar energy is stored in order to thereby reduce the atmospheric CO2 level by an amount of CO2 which is equivalent to the amount of carbon present in the stored biomass coal.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.