Solar energy conversion and storage systems for the future

The thesis of this paper is that the long-range solution to the energy woes of the world does not lie in any one particular approach and that several avenues should be explored simultaneously, with particular emphasis on the exploitation of solar energy in its various manifestations such as heat, winds, tides, and ocean thermal gradients. Research and development over the past thirteen years at Oklahoma State University has resulted in the evolution of several components required to engineer a continuous duty power system running on nonexpendable energy sources, namely the sun and the wind. This paper presents the system and discusses its applicability to the energy systems of the future.