THERMAplus, TES Optimized for Integration with Chillers and Heat Pumps

Energy storage is required to address variability, in supply and demand of electricity, while transitioning to renewable-intensive grid, electrifying transportation, and electrifying heat. Buildings have high energy demands for heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC). Thermal Energy Storage (TES) can store off-peak/renewable-intensive for later use in heating or cooling the host building. TES brings major cost saving potential to chiller and heat pump systems, by shifting electrical loads to these lower cost periods. This project will de-risk and demonstrate a multi-mode Phase Change Material (PCM) which can be optimized in terms of capacity and transition temperature on a daily or seasonal basis. The PCM can store both cooling and heating (in the same tanks and same active material), and the tunability enables major energy (kWh) and power (kW) reductions for commercial customers. The project team will approach optimization of TES by modeling, validation testing, and case studies for integrating TES into commercial buildings, campus, and district energy systems. TES significantly enables Grid-Interactive Efficient Buildings, which are essential for lowering costs, reducing carbon-intensity, and improving resiliency. The PCM testing will build upon the project team’s current product development and commercialization work, with a stretch target of $15/kWh of thermal energy storage, and an essentially unlimited (>25 year) system life for a new high performance PCM which we are developing. TES has the potential to pair with additional energy technologies such as modular heat pumps, geothermal ground loops, solar thermal systems, fuel cells, combined heat & power, and district energy systems. TES is an important enabler to full decarbonization of buildings and is safer, more efficient, more durable and thus lower lifecycle cost, than battery systems.