Accordingly, it is the general purpose and object of the present invention to provide an effective power station capable of generating electric energy at high efficiency and very low price. Other objects of the invention are to provide a locally powered generator of an efficiency competitive with large scale thermal power stations.

In accordance with the present invention, a gas of the type liquefied at cryogenic temperatures is stored in an externally ribbed storage tank exposed to ambient surroundings. The large latent thermal difference between the liquefied gas and the environment is then used to boil the liquefied gas, producing a low temperature, high pressure gas stream that is then released into the bottom of a fluid filled tower subjacent a plurality of inverted buckets fixed to a pulley belt.

As the pulley belt is driven in rotation by the buoyant lift of the gas filled backets through the fluid, a generator engaged to the pulley belt produces electrical power. The trapped gas is then released from the buckets as they each are turned over the appear pulley, to collect in the ullage cavity of the upper chamber of the tower for return and re-compression to its liquid state by a solar powered compressor.

An auxiliary compression powered by the partial output of the generator may be used to re-compress the gas at such times when the solar array is ineffective, with the selection determined by computer control. The use of a gas cycle liquefied at cryogenic temperatures exposes the cooled motors and the cooled generator to temperature at which superconductivity may be achieved.