Scientists at Swansea University lead a project involving the Activ Building Center Research Programme that focuses on a new thermal energy storage technology that saves up heat for months. This technology could help cut the rocketing energy bills, especially during winter.
This project is funded by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) through the Longer Duration Energy Storage Demonstration program, which is part of the $1.3 billion Net Zero Innovation Portfolio (NZIP).
Novel Thermal Energy Storage Technology Saves Heat From Summer to Use in Winter to Cut Rising Energy Bills
Two Types of Thermal Energy Storage Technology
The team is set to evaluate two different types of thermal energy storage technology from Loughborough University, SciTech Daily reported.
The first one will be the Thermochemical Storage (TCS) that could store heat not only for days but even for months with net-zero heat lost. The technology draws heat from a renewable source when it is still abundant, like during the summer months. The thermal energy could be generated from a heat pump, electrical heating element, or solar thermal collector that will dehydrate an active material and subsequently charge the thermal store.
When it is already charged, the system can be cooled to room temperature while storing the energy. When needed, moisture is reintroduced to release the heat, so it can be used at home.
The second technology is Phase Change Material (PCM) which can provide day-to-day thermal energy storage better than existing technologies. Like the first thermal energy storage technology, the PCM also uses a thermal source, but this time it will be used to heat a chemical store to turn the solid material into its liquid form.
It will provide heat for the house for several days, while the heat stored can also be released to produce hot water or used in heating space by applying lower temperature water to it. The support from the new funding will help the feasibility study that will assess the potential benefits of these two technologies.
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Benefits of Thermal Energy Storage Project
The project called Advanced Distributed Storage for grid Benefit (ADSORB) aims to improve the energy performance of a building and lessen the load over the national systems, ARY News reported.
Moreover, the thermal energy storage technology also solves one of the main renewable energy problems - intermittency. Wind and solar energy are dependent on weather conditions. For instance, the amount of energy generated from the sun during rainy or cloudy weather is not enough, likewise with generating wind energy.
But with thermal energy storage, excess energy generated when renewables are abundant can be stored and be used in the future to make up for its shortfalls. The system could be installed in newly-built properties or retrofitted into existing ones to reduce consumer bills.
Lastly, the combined smart control systems of the two technologies could boost renewable energy and take more carbon out of the energy supply of the UK.
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