Image shows the heat loss of a house. New research into thermal energy storage could lead to summer heat being stored for winter. Photo credit: Active Building Centre, Swansea University
Funding research into thermal energy storage, which could reduce costs and promote renewable energy.
A new technology that could store heat for days or even months, supporting the transition to net-zero, is the focus of a new project involving the Swansea University-led Active Building Center research programme, which has just received funding of £146,000.
The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) is funding the project through the Extended Duration Energy Storage Demonstration Programme, part of the £1bn Net Zero Innovation Portfolio (NZIP).
Thermal energy storage — storing heat so it’s available when you need it — has the potential to drive up energy costs.
It also solves one of the main problems of renewable energy sources, the so-called intermittency: wind and solar energy are dependent on weather conditions. Thermal energy storage means that excess energy generated during periods when renewable energy is plentiful can be stored and released to make up for future deficits.
The project, called Adsorb (Advanced Distributed Storage for Grid Benefit), aims to demonstrate a modular system that could improve a building’s energy efficiency and ease the pressure on national energy systems. The system can be installed in new buildings or retrofitted to existing buildings.
The team will evaluate two different types of advanced thermal energy storage technologies, both developed by Loughborough University.
The first is thermochemical storage (TCS), which could store for weeks or even months without heat loss. It extracts heat from a thermal source such as a heat pump, electric heater, or solar thermal collector to dehydrate an active material, thereby “charging” the heat storage tank. After charging, the system can be cooled down to ambient temperature and the energy stored. Moisture is reintroduced when needed, which then releases the heat for use in the home.
The second technology is Phase Change Material (PCM). This has the potential to provide daily thermal energy storage at far higher densities than traditional technologies. The PCM system also uses a heat source, this time to heat a chemical reservoir to convert the solid material to its liquid form. This stores latent heat for several days. The stored heat can be released to provide hot water or space heating simply by pumping lower temperature water through the system.
Combined with intelligent control systems, these technologies could significantly reduce consumer bills and solve the problem of disruption, promote renewable energy and remove more carbon from the UK energy supply.
The new funding will support a Pre-Feasibility Study to assess the potential benefits of these technologies.
The Active Building Center research program will collaborate with Loughborough University, the University of Sheffield and Mixergy.
Cooperation with industry is a crucial element of this project. Mixergy bring valuable experience in commercializing innovative technologies developed within academia, but they also have proven supply chains and distribution models that can help these technologies quickly reach mainstream markets.
Having developed, launched and expanded a market for their smart stratified hot water tank, the Mixergy team is also in this project investigating how the proposed smart hot water storage system could be integrated into existing household energy systems.
dr Ahsan Khan, principal investigator of the Active Building Center research program said:
“Heat decarbonization simply won’t happen fast enough without innovations in heat storage. Seeing BEIS prioritize this critical path and our thermal storage team developing industry partnerships to make these technologies a reality feels like a big step on our journey to net zero.”
UK Government Minister Greg Hands said:
“Advancing energy storage technologies will be critical in our transition to cheap, clean and safe renewable energy.
It will allow us to take full advantage of our domestic renewable energy sources, reduce costs and end our dependence on volatile and expensive fossil fuels. Through this competition, we ensure that the country’s most innovative scientists and thinkers receive our support to make this goal a reality.”
