Patent ID: 8336810

Claim:
A method of transporting energy from a producing location to a consuming location comprising: permitting loading of compressed or liquid hydrogen onto a lighter-than-air ship, wherein said compressed or liquid hydrogen is produced from a fixed energy source at said producing location; releasing hydrogen gas from said loaded compressed or liquid hydrogen into one or more inflatable bladders in a plurality of compartments in said lighter-than-air ship from a one or more high pressure tanks to increase lift, each of said compartments having a venting mechanism allowing air to exit said compartment when a bladder is inflated in a particular compartment; releasing hydrogen gas from one or more of said inflatable bladders in one or more of said compartments into one or more a low pressure tanks to decrease lift, the venting mechanism in a particular compartment allowing air to enter the compartment when the bladder in that compartment is deflated, the low pressure tank recapturing hydrogen gas from said bladder; permitting said lighter-than-air ship to transport said loaded compressed or liquid hydrogen from the producing location to the consuming location; adapting said lighter-than-air ship to offload said compressed or liquid hydrogen at the consuming location.