Patent ID: 8247915

Claim:
An energy storage system comprising: a wind turbine; a gas compressor configured to be operated by the wind turbine through a linkage, the gas compressor comprising an element to effect gas-liquid heat exchange with compressed gas, wherein the gas compressor comprises, a chamber defined within at least one wall, valving allowing selective fluid communication between the chamber and the compressed gas storage unit, and a moveable member received within the chamber to be selectively driven by the wind turbine to compress gas within the chamber; a compressed gas storage unit in fluid communication with the gas compressor, and configured to store gas compressed by the gas compressor; and a generator configured to generate electrical power from expansion of compressed gas flowed from the compressed gas storage unit, wherein the moveable member is selectively configurable to transmit out of the chamber to the generator, a power of the compressed gas flowed from the compressed gas storage unit expanding within the chamber; and the element is configured to effect gas-liquid heat exchange with the compressed gas flowed from the compressed gas storage unit expanding within the chamber in an absence of combustion.