Background[edit | edit source]
Thermal Energy Storage is done for various purposes and can be accomplished with a wide variety of devices. The idea is to either store excess heat (or cool) for later use, or to convert electrical energy into thermal energy. No matter the size, buildings benefit from thermal energy storage because it can serve to save money if done so properly. For example, a manager of a commercial building could choose to run the chiller early in the morning when electricity prices are low. The manager would then use that cold to cool the building during the day when they would have been paying more.[verification needed]
One common utilization of thermal energy storage is in concentrated solar arrays. These devices concentrate solar power onto a tower that has some sort of working fluid inside (often salt). The heat energy is transferred into the working fluid and later used to run a steam turbine later in the evening when the sun has come down. [verification needed]
Devices[edit | edit source]
Electric thermal storage heaters[edit | edit source]
These devices use electricity to heat high density ceramic bricks, or feolite blocks. It is common in Europe for these devices to be used in households because the European utilities often use time-of-use metering. By using electrical thermal storage heaters, homeowners and building managers can create and store thermal energy when the price of electricity is low then utilize the heat in periods of high demand for cheaper.[verification needed]
Ice-based technology[edit | edit source]
One cubic meter of water can store about 90 kWh (317,000 BTU). This type of thermal energy storage utilizes Ice creation which can then be used for cooling a building. These devices can be scaled up to address the cooling demand for a wide range of building types. [verification needed]
Pumped-heat electricity storage (PHES)[edit | edit source]
For this method, reversible heat-pumps are used to store energy as a temperature difference between two heat stores. This method has potential in the residential and commercial sectors as heat pump water heaters (HPWH) gain market share.
Grid implications[edit | edit source]
Energy storage has become increasingly important for grid stability as renewables are implemented on a large scale.[1] Thermal energy storage has potential to provide manageable and dispatch able storage measures to bolster electrical grid stability. This can be done on a utility scale with large concentrated solar facilities or on a more distributed scale using electric home water heaters. Managing thermal energy loads will allow for peak shaving during high demand hours which will lessen the need for pollution intensive natural gas power plants to come on line during those hours.
